How much for the Experience in the window?

[Supplement Four]

This is direct from Howard's writings, where Conan strikes with a killing blow and shatters the weapon.

There's a rule in the game (and a feat) for shattering weapons. In game terms, Conan didn't use a Fate Point. His player either rolled really well (to get a shatter check vs. the defender's parry...I think you have to roll the parry exactly to get it), or, more likely, Conan used the feat that calls for a shatter check.

This too is from Howard's writing. Specifically the Jewels of Gwahlur, where he's looking at a parchment and piecing out words from a language he just picked up.

Again, already in the game. No Fate Point needed to do this. Every character basically has ever skill in the game--even the ones he has no ranks in.

Conan rolled well on this skill check.

 

[flatscan]

Conan rolled well on this skill check.

That's your interpretation. It's not mine, nor Mongoose's. I'm going to bow out of this at this point. You obviously have a firm idea about how you want to run your game. I sincerely hope your players are ready for what they're going to get. They'll be disappointed if they've bought the Conan 2e book and are expecting to play that game. :?

 

[Sutek]

I'm OK with the allowed re-rolls. But, that other stuff isn't "Conan" to me. It's munchkin-super-fantasy-hero-stuff.

Not for my game.

Maybe you missed the context. You'd spend a FP to, say...ask the GM that you know the city guard captain personally because of a past relationship with his sister. Or maybe, you spend a FP to have know how to speak a little Nemedian all along. The GM is still only going to use the suggestion to give you "some kind of in-game hint", but not a huge one. You aren't suddenly fluent in Nemedian, but you know enough to realize that the guy in the booth behind you in the tavern is suggesting that he and hish buddies rob you. The FP expendature alters the course of fate on a story level, but it's still just a relatively minor nudge.

Besides, as flatscan said, Mongoose did thier homework, and not just on a "Conan" level, but also on a general narrative level. All the time in book series the main protagonists very often say something like "I just remembered something about the ancients from a nursery rhyme I heard when i was a child." Or whatever. Same thing. I mean, we didn't know Indy knew all about Thugees until he rattled off thier backstory, or that "always two there are; a master and an apprentice" until Yoda said so. Knew skills/knowledge pops up all the time in fiction, and this FP mechanic just puts it in the hands of the player, granting them story control for thier character to a degree.

 

[Supplement Four]

That's your interpretation. It's not mine, nor Mongoose's.

I'm not sure how you can say that. I've shown you Mongoose rules that supply what you were using Fate Points for.

Your interpretation, I understand. But, saying that your interpretation is also Mongoose's is a stretch.

You obviously have a firm idea about how you want to run your game.

I do. One of the appeals to the Conan universe is its grim-n-gritty-dark-fantasy-reality.

Cold, hard, steel saves the day.

That's how I will run my game.

I sincerely hope your players are ready for what they're going to get. They'll be disappointed if they've bought the Conan 2e book and are expecting to play that game. :?

My players would buck at running with some of your suggestions. I want to say, though, that I do appreciate your comments. Don't think otherwise.

I mean, we can agree to disagree, right? No need to get feathers in a ruffle, is there?

My games, traditionally, have the bent towards the "more realistic". That's the way we like them.

Not that I'm not a total hard-nosed GM. PCs, the "stars" of my story, are characters that I want to continue to survive.

But, my players are used to respecting combat. Conan will be grim-n-gritty. I haven't decided if I'll use the Fate Point system yet, but if I do, it will be more like what Sutek suggests. Fate Points will be rare things, and I suspect we're rarely see them in play because they won't be given out that often.

I'm still reading the rules, so I may change my position on this. I'm not totally convinced the game will run fine without the Fate Points--and I probably will use them.

 

[flatscan]

I'm not sure how you can say that. I've shown you Mongoose rules that supply what you were using Fate Points for.

Your interpretation, I understand. But, saying that your interpretation is also Mongoose's is a stretch.

I can read man. Read the Fate Point rules. What I'm suggesting is what is written as the rules. Mongoose wrote the rules...

I do. One of the appeals to the Conan universe is its grim-n-gritty-dark-fantasy-reality.

Cold, hard, steel saves the day.

That's how I will run my game.

Sword & Sorcery. I agree.

My players would buck at running with some of your suggestions. I want to say, though, that I do appreciate your comments. Don't think otherwise.
...
I'm still reading the rules, so I may change my position on this. I'm not totally convinced the game will run fine without the Fate Points--and I probably will use them.

Dude, I'm just pointing out what's written in the rules, Conan 2e p. 75. I recommend at least doing a dry run, or one-shot with the rules as written. I did, and this is how my group and I have been playing for a while (2 years, first with the Atlantean edition, now with 2e). YMMV Happy gaming none-the-less. Throw some scary stuff at your players and may the swords sing and heads fly!

 

[Sutek]

Having not run a Conan game yet, Sup4, I'd say do a search here in the forums for "Power Attack". Now, what you'll get is a long list of dozens of thick, deep, seemingly unending threads about Bardiches, two-handed attacks, and is Sneak Attack better or worse, but one thing you'll find after reading a few of the lead posts is that damage is severe, in early levels, and that finding that "grim and gritty" that you're talking about is there from the get-go.

I'm not quite sure what grim and gritty actually means to you either, but if it means blood, heinous fights with piles of bodies and a real sense of danger for the PCs, well then you really don't need to augment rules pre-campaign to make Conan do that. It already does, big time. Check out multiple combatants, Flat Footed, Sneak Attack, Massive Damage and Left For Dead. All of that can happen in a single round to one of your PCs encountering the right number (or wrong number, if your the PC) of thiefs in a dark Hyranian alley.

This game is grim and gritty from page one, I dont' care what edition you have. I suggest runnig it as written before changing stuff, because the 3.x d20 system hangs together is a very particular way, and Conan is a brutal, violent version of it that I think you;ll find works like you want it to with otu the changes you're suggesting.

You too flatscan. :wink:

I've just been at this game system for 4+ years now, and I'm certainly not a pro, nor do I pretend to know it all at any given moment. Just do a little more digging or querrying here in the forums, but do so with an open mind. People ahve brought all this up before and seen the light (myself included). Besides that, 2E is a cleaned up version of AE, so you've got what is very likely the best version of a d20 RPG that there is without a single amendment. Just enjoy it.

8)

 

[flatscan]

This game is grim and gritty from page one, I dont' care what edition you have. I suggest runnig it as written before changing stuff, because the 3.x d20 system hangs together is a very particular way, and Conan is a brutal, violent version of it that I think you;ll find works like you want it to with otu the changes you're suggesting.

I wholeheartedly agree!

You too flatscan. :wink:

I'm playing it straight by the book man. By the 2e book.

 

[Sutek]

And a killer looking campaign you have to. The entire globe and there's still 200 odd miles to go...lol

Mine's stalled indefinitely. Just staopped being able to keep getting everyone together.

 

[flatscan]

Mine's stalled indefinitely. Just staopped being able to keep getting everyone together.

Ah man, that sucks.

I've got a fairly-steady group of 4 right now. Have a 'game must go on' policy. Even if I'm down to 2 players we're still playing!

Hope you can pick your game back up man, there's ruins to explore and cities to plunder!

 

[Hervé]

I don't give XP¨s but rather let my players level when I feel it. As for Fate Points, I don't really use a fixed rule about them. I tend to use them to avoid a deadly blow, reroll an action or take a blow for someone else and that kind of stuff. A bit in the Warhammer style...

 

[Supplement Four]

I've got a fairly-steady group of 4 right now. Have a 'game must go on' policy. Even if I'm down to 2 players we're still playing!

Everytime I read one of your posts, it is re-inforced how differently we go about the game.

(Not that I don't like seeing things from your side of the table!)
:lol:

My policy is: Everybody shows up or we don't play.

I don't let other people play characters that aren't theirs, and I don't let a character wander off by himself to cover for a missing player if it doesn't suit the story (say...if the party is in the middle of a town, then I might be able to work it in, but if they're in the middle of an old ruin or dungeon, then no way, Jose.).

If a person misses one of my games and keeps everybody from playing, he catches a lot of hell from the other players. If it happens more than once, then there's a good chance he won't be invited back to play.

I mean, this is a game, and everybody's there to have fun. But, also, I, as GM, have put a lot of work into the game. I need players to respect that. When its time to play, it's time to play.

Plus, we only play once a month. Campaigns are fairly slow because of that. So, everybody agrees that play time is precious.

We usually set the date for the next game at the end of each game session. If someone's got a conflict, they'll speak up as soon as they find out--and we'll move the game date.

But, we don't play if everybody can't make it.

And, we only play with people who are eager to be there.

That's how I've always run my games, for the last 20+ years.

Once you set the ground rules and let them know that it's not "OK" to miss a game session, people will make every effort to be at the game (if they want to continue playing with you).

 

[flatscan]

Once a month.:shock: With the amount of crunch you've added to combat it will take you more than a year to finish a single full adventure. Black Stones of Kovag-Re should go quicker since it's intended to be a one-shot. But every single encounter will take up your one night a month of gaming. The Game Time will be the same, but 6 seconds in Game Time will take you an hour in Real Time whenever the PCs face multiple opponents and especially if your PCs survive to get multiple attacks in a round. It's combat in slow motion. So I'd have to agree. Our gaming styles are completely different. I prefer a quicker system to resolve combat. The one in the book captures the sword & sorcery feel and allows you to move tactically and fairly quickly, just have to keep the players from spending minutes pondering their next move in combat. :wink:

 

[Supplement Four]

Once a month.:shock: With the amount of crunch you've added to combat it will take you more than a year to finish a single full adventure.

Yep. We're used to that. We usually play an adventure or two per year. Figure it's only 12 game sessions.

Although I haven't added a lot of "crunch" to the game. Just rolls for defense. That's all.

I prefer a quicker system to resolve combat. The one in the book captures the sword & sorcery feel and allows you to move tactically and fairly quickly, just have to keep the players from spending minutes pondering their next move in combat. :wink:

We're old pros with Active Defense. We've played it before. It's not a "new" concept to the game.

And, to be honest, the extra die roll doesn't really take that much more time. I roll NPC attack and give you the modified number. You immediately roll your defense and give the modified number. It takes about as much time as asking, "Hey, what's your defense number", and then you answering.

So, Active Defense really won't add a lot of time to the game--if I used the system straight out of the book, the game will play about the same (time wise).

 

[flatscan]

So, Active Defense really won't add a lot of time to the game--if I used the system straight out of the book, the game will play about the same (time wise).

Any time you add rolls and charts to combat you're adding time. But as you say, your group members are old pros at this, so have fun.

 

[Supplement Four]

So, Active Defense really won't add a lot of time to the game--if I used the system straight out of the book, the game will play about the same (time wise).

Any time you add rolls and charts to combat you're adding time. But as you say, your group members are old pros at this, so have fun.

I would say your statement is "generally" true, but from experience, I know it's not true all the time.

Active Defense is an example of when it's not true.

What happens in a normal game? The GM rolls for the NPC attack and then asks the player who has a character being attacked, "What's your defense?"

The player looks at his sheet and says, "I'm parrying that blow. My defense is 15."

It takes just as much time to do that as it does for the GM to roll an attack, look up from behind his screen, and annouce, "The Vanir uses both hands to swing down his mighty axe. My attack is 17."

Then the attacked player automatically rolls a d20 for defense, adds in his mods, and says, "I parried for 22."

Trust me. It takes about the same amount of time.

 

[DigitalMage]

Trust me. It takes about the same amount of time.

Also, its no more rolls than RuneQuest and the players of that don't seem to have a big issue with it there. So go ahead and use what works for you!

 

[flatscan]

Trust me. It takes about the same amount of time.

I can't agree. The reason the Take 10 rule was invented was to speed up the game. The Defense value starts with a base of 10 for the same reason. As a GM I know my players Defense values and Damage Reduction. I roll the attack and simply tell the player who hit them, how they hit them, and how bad it hurt, with the appropriate prose of course. :wink:

With your system you roll for every single instance of combat, tell the player the result, your player rolls, the die spins...and then he tells you his result...for every single character who gets attacked. As you said, you prefer this method, but I agreed with Wizards of the Coast when I read the D&D 3.5 rules, and I absolutely love what Mongoose did to those rules in Conan. The RAW combat plays at the perfect pace for my game. Fast and deadly. :twisted: