Mikko Leho said:
I am not familiar with systems you mentioned but real life gun physics are one major challenge for any roleplaying system. People who for all reason should have died from gun shot are still living today, one bullet can turn ones insides into jelly while the next shot only manages to scratch the intended victim. Most game system approach this problem by adding more details, which doesn't add any realism just more math.
THat is the problem with a Hit Point approach. What the Bond game did was to have weapons inflict wounds (Stun, Light, Medium, Heavy, Incapacitate, Killed). Depending upon the quality of the hit, the damage that the weapon did would vary. THis meant that a grazing hit from nearly any firearm was only a minor injury, but a well placed shot with even a light weapon could prove fatal.
The game also factored in the biggest thing about firearmsa that most games ditch which is the stun/shock effect of being hit. In the real world very few hits are instantly fatal, but people generally do not react well to be hit. In the Bond game, getting hit forced a Pain Resistance roll to continue acting. This was WIL based, so you ended up with situations like in real life where a thick headed crook can keep going after being shot a couple of times, where someone else might pass out or go into shock over a realitevly light hit.
Time Lords was more complicated in the effects, but it was more realistic. THere were a lot of things that factored into the result.
IMO the problem with most games is that they give a weapon a damage rating, and make that the single, or at least the dominant factor in determining damage, when, realisticaly, it should be the third factor. Location and skill are both much more important.
atgxtg said:
For what it's worth, melee combat, with swords, clubs ands all isn't much simplier than firearms. I've see precious few games where a dagger is the dangerous, lethal weapon it is in real life. One good knife hit can potentiall kill a person, but not in most RPGs.
Mikko Leho said:
Difference is that a hand gun is possibly lethal on hands of anyone capable of pulling trigger while knife is less so. Otherwise I agree with you, practicing taking away a knife from someone how knows his/hers stuff is pain in the ass/hands/kneck/etc.
Not that much difference really. A light handguns like the .25 or .22 or even a .32 aren't any more lethal than a knife-even in unskilled hands. THe real advantages of firearms are that you don't have to get past the foe's defenses (can't parry or dodge bullets), easier learning curve, rate of fire, and that you don't have to get up close and look into the face of the guy you are trying to kill. Firearms are an equalizer in that the skill of the target makes little difference. With a melee weapon the fore can defend and counterattack. Still, the dagger iself is capable of inflict wounds as severe as most bullets.
atgxtg said:
I find that in most RPGs character creation can go very fast in you are familar with the rules and have a concvept in mind.
Mikko Leho said:
If character creation is taking more than an hour even during first time (minus possible introduction to the world or the rules), then something is wrong in my book. Remember reading posts how character creation can be cut down to two hours in the new Shadowrun :evil:
It is hard to generalize that way. In my experience, if character creation is taking more than an hour,
something is wrong, but it might not be in the book. I've seen this happen for several reasons. One common one was that we only had one copy of the book, and 8 people who wanted to look up something. It probably too less than a hour each, but we all had to wait for that time. I've also seen people who for some unknown reason, don't bring dice and a pencil, and so borrow from others, all night long. Finally, I've gamed with some people who are just too stupid or too slow to grasp things in under an hour. I know some pople who still can't grasp basic concepts after playing a game for
decades.