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<blockquote data-quote="D'karr" data-source="post: 6092782" data-attributes="member: 336">I think that the answer to that is &quot;pure genius&quot;, or &quot;it didn't really matter.&quot;&nbsp; Since he had already &quot;defined&quot; HP in an abstract way there was nothing else to do.&nbsp; Obviously, this created many inconsistencies, but the simplicity of HP is undeniable - it just works.&nbsp; It's when you start trying to tie it down from it's abstractness into a more concrete model that the cracks appear.&nbsp; So in that sense the simplicity and functionality was pure genius.I remember reading in the early 80's (possibly 81) an article from Don Turnbull, the TSR UK guy from Fiend Folio fame.&nbsp; In the article he wondered pretty much the same thing about HP, as the rising HP of a higher level fighter could not obviously be accounted for with an increase in the character's physical constitution.&nbsp; He postulated that a &quot;Hit&quot; and a &quot;Miss&quot; were not always an actual physical hit or miss.&nbsp; HP were after all not physical, but a measure of &quot;capacity to live&quot;, and the &quot;wounds&quot; was just a decrease in &quot;capacity to live&quot;.&nbsp; The only reason hit points were called &quot;Hit&quot; Points was for simplicity.&nbsp; Instead of Capacity to Live Points.&nbsp; It was an interesting read, and it's funny today, and 30+ years later we are having the same discussions/arguments.&nbsp; Even with the arguments HP as an abstract concept still just works right out of the gate.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="D'karr, post: 6092782, member: 336"] I think that the answer to that is "pure genius", or "it didn't really matter." Since he had already "defined" HP in an abstract way there was nothing else to do. Obviously, this created many inconsistencies, but the simplicity of HP is undeniable - it just works. It's when you start trying to tie it down from it's abstractness into a more concrete model that the cracks appear. So in that sense the simplicity and functionality was pure genius. I remember reading in the early 80's (possibly 81) an article from Don Turnbull, the TSR UK guy from Fiend Folio fame. In the article he wondered pretty much the same thing about HP, as the rising HP of a higher level fighter could not obviously be accounted for with an increase in the character's physical constitution. He postulated that a "Hit" and a "Miss" were not always an actual physical hit or miss. HP were after all not physical, but a measure of "capacity to live", and the "wounds" was just a decrease in "capacity to live". The only reason hit points were called "Hit" Points was for simplicity. Instead of Capacity to Live Points. It was an interesting read, and it's funny today, and 30+ years later we are having the same discussions/arguments. Even with the arguments HP as an abstract concept still just works right out of the gate. [/QUOTE]

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