Questions about Iron Heroes?

Renshai said:

I too am intimidated by running a combat with NPCs that are using token pools. It seems like alot to keep track of.

Click to expand...

My overall organizational method for combat solves this problem pretty well:

I put all PCs and NPCs on 3x5 cards. I roll initiative and the beginning of each session, and after each combat (which is the initiative for the next combat). This is marked in the upper right hand corner of the card. I put pools and the like on the card itself, to keep track, along with hit points, effects, etc. I also use separate cards for spell effects. I pull the cards out of order for Delay. Try this; you might find it useful.

glass said:

Wow, so you go reproduce the OGL with correctly filled in s.15 for your website too?

Click to expand...

It's a wiki, so each rule links to an entry for the original source. That entry contains the section 15 and open content designation from that book (for eventual cross-checking of compliance).

It's a bit of a mess at the moment as I am in the middle of some heavy redesign; once that settles down there will be a "master" section 15 with links to each of the individual sources; the link to this will be reproduced on every page as part of the base template.

I've made compliance mistakes but the transparent nature of sourcing helps me correct those fairly quickly.

Wulf Ratbane said:

For the life of me, I can't reach a common understanding on Monte's use of the OGL.

Click to expand...

Glad to know it's not just me. But IANAL. Personally, I think Malhavoc would benefit quite a lot from loosening its grip on IP, but that's Monte's decision.

JBowtie said:

Glad to know it's not just me. But IANAL. Personally, I think Malhavoc would benefit quite a lot from loosening its grip on IP, but that's Monte's decision.

Click to expand...

Well, I both agree and disagree.

I don't think that Monte has anything to gain by loosening his grip on those things that are properly designated PI (not to be confused with IP). He absolutely should protect and retain those things that are retainable.

But I don't think he has anything to gain by (IMO) improperly designating things as closed content when they are Open.

It simply confuses things, and I definitely don't think Monte has anything to gain by deliberately obfuscating OGC, PI, and otherwise copyrighted material.

JBowtie said:

Frukathka - from the previews and other info I've seen it looks like it's meant to drop right in. Just don't mix systems on a character (every character should one set of rules or the other).

The main thing is that the IH classes are meant to be powerful without magic items. Dropping them into the Realms is probably insane (massive amounts of magic). Dropping them into Greyhawk, Thieve's World, Midnight, or Conan probably gives you a better fit.

This coming from one who does not have the game, only the previews.

Click to expand...

Sounds about like my interpretation from reading 90% of it. But I can't imagine dropping IH and the Realms in the same game. Too much disagreement of basic assumptions about magic. Greyhawk, sure. You can even run all your NPCs exactly the same, but that orc wearing boots of springing and striding is now just a really fast orc. And that kobold sorceror wearing a cloak of resistance simply has better saving throws than the other kobolds. Maybe it's a fetish charm that only works for him. Or maybe he's just lucky.

I'm actually having fun thinking about how I would convert a lot of my adventures if my campaign ever restarts

bump.

One thing that seems unclear from the previews - is it actually more complex than standard d20?

The reason I ask this is that from what I've seen, it seems possible (likely) that a given character may have multiple token pools. On top of which several of the class abilities seem that they'd be somewhat math-intensive.

It's just that I have players who have enough trouble remembering all their modifiers as it is; if they also have to track teken usage and do maths when activating abilities - well, I'm not sure they'll really have that much fun.

(I'm still not buying it, but one of my players is considering it).

EDIT - just to clarify, I'm asking if it is more complex in practice; sometimes stuff that looks complicated on paper isn't an issue in actual play.

JBowtie said:

EDIT - just to clarify, I'm asking if it is more complex in practice; sometimes stuff that looks complicated on paper isn't an issue in actual play.

Click to expand...

Had my first real game last night. I found that while there was some additional math, it really wasn't any more time consuming in and of itself than calculating what the wizard, cleric or bard have done/are doing to the party (haste, bless or inspire courage, for example).

Additionally, some of the rules are simplified (though it may be deceptive when it comes to easy). For example, there are only three ways to provoke an AoO in IH. 1) Move more than 1/4 speed through a particular enemy's threat range (5' like D&D for people who move 20', 25' or 30'). 2) Doing any standard action other than a standard attack in an enemy's threat range. 3) Doing any full round action other than a full attack in an enemies threat range.

If you know your character's Dex, Con and Wis then you always know their saves without having to look (barring any feats that affect it, though those you'd probably remember too).

Obviously, with more combat options, there is more for the players to think about. But I don't find it to be more cumbersome than spellcasters in D&D.

Didn't have any multiplayer characters and no one with multiple pools, so I don't know how that would be. The Executioner has two pools anyway, and we didn't find that to be a problem. Occasionally, I'd forget to give a player a token. They reminded me every time.

I haven't playtested it yet, but it does seem like fighter-types get more complexity than in D&D. However, that's made up for by the lack of the complexity that common magic introduces in D&D.

In other words, D&D has a lot of complexity stemming from lots of spells being cast during combat, magic items being used by everyone, and so on. Iron Heroes does away with that, and thus leaves room to add other complex things.