Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Guest 6801328" data-source="post: 7741250">Ha!&nbsp; That made me smile.&nbsp; Ah, the Interwebz.I don't think you are understanding my point.&nbsp; It's not that you cannot create a character across that spectrum, it's that the spectrum itself isn't encoded in the rules.Imagine a Star Wars game that didn't have a mechanic for Light Side/Dark Side.&nbsp; &quot;What?&nbsp; You can be as good or evil as you want!&quot; isn't the same thing as having mechanics that reinforce the difference.In Conan's world that spectrum, that dichotomy that is core to the fiction, is Civilized vs. Barbaric.&nbsp; To oversimplify my position: where's the box on the character sheet for that variable? Again, making it possible isn't the same as making it intrinsic.&nbsp;&nbsp; Here I was misunderstood: I was only clarifying that what I was looking for is not simply an endless upgrade path (c.f MMOs), not that this particular game is doing so.I find the weapon mechanics here, in effect if not in implementation, to be similar to Dungeon World, in that you can prioritize concept and story over crunch when choosing a weapon.&nbsp; And in general I really like that!&nbsp; In any other genre/setting I don't think you should have to take a different weapon because it's &quot;better&quot;.I think it's great design...usually...when a player can say, &quot;I picture my hero with a broadsword&quot; and that's a perfectly fine decision and nobody is going to say, &quot;Dude, you should really switch to an Axe because (insert Calculus).&nbsp; But in Conan's world I think that player should be frequently forced to pick up other weapons, maybe even in every adventure.&nbsp; And some of those weapons will be worse, for whatever reason, than a broadsword. And sometimes it will be an awesome weapon...but don't get too attached to it.Because that's what Conan does.Well...not to be TOTALLY cynical here, but aren't they getting paid royalties?In any event, I agree that the fluff is all very nice.&nbsp; And I'm sure I'd have fun playing at your table; I've had a blast playing lots of systems, even more so when the GM has a lot of experience with the system.&nbsp; And I'm sure you're awesome at narrating Conan-esque stories.But I bet you could also run a really good Conan game using GURPS.&nbsp; That doesn't mean the GURPS rules are built around the fiction, even if you have a &quot;GURPS - Conan&quot; supplement.I'm setting a very high bar here.&nbsp; I'm an unabashed fan-boi of The One Ring, which (to me) illustrates how a game system that is built from the ground up to support a specific setting, and pares away extraneous rules to get down to the essence...the &quot;minimum viable product&quot; as it were...of the fiction, can reinforce that setting.&nbsp; TOR changed my expectations/hopes of what RPGs could look like, and I was really hoping the Modiphius Conan game would do something similar.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Guest 6801328, post: 7741250"] Ha! That made me smile. Ah, the Interwebz. I don't think you are understanding my point. It's not that you cannot create a character across that spectrum, it's that the spectrum itself isn't encoded in the rules. Imagine a Star Wars game that didn't have a mechanic for Light Side/Dark Side. "What? You can be as good or evil as you want!" isn't the same thing as having mechanics that reinforce the difference. In Conan's world that spectrum, that dichotomy that is core to the fiction, is Civilized vs. Barbaric. To oversimplify my position: where's the box on the character sheet for that variable? Again, making it [I]possible[/I] isn't the same as making it [I]intrinsic[/I]. Here I was misunderstood: I was only clarifying that what I was looking for is not simply an endless upgrade path (c.f MMOs), not that this particular game is doing so. I find the weapon mechanics here, in effect if not in implementation, to be similar to Dungeon World, in that you can prioritize concept and story over crunch when choosing a weapon. And in general I really like that! In any other genre/setting I don't think you should have to take a different weapon because it's "better". I think it's great design...usually...when a player can say, "I picture my hero with a broadsword" and that's a perfectly fine decision and nobody is going to say, "Dude, you should really switch to an Axe because (insert Calculus). But in Conan's world I think that player should be frequently forced to pick up other weapons, maybe even in every adventure. And some of those weapons will be worse, for whatever reason, than a broadsword. And sometimes it will be an awesome weapon...but don't get too attached to it. Because that's what Conan does. Well...not to be TOTALLY cynical here, but aren't they getting paid royalties? In any event, I agree that the fluff is all very nice. And I'm sure I'd have fun playing at your table; I've had a blast playing lots of systems, even more so when the GM has a lot of experience with the system. And I'm sure you're awesome at narrating Conan-esque stories. But I bet you could also run a really good Conan game using GURPS. That doesn't mean the GURPS rules are built around the fiction, even if you have a "GURPS - Conan" supplement. I'm setting a very high bar here. I'm an unabashed fan-boi of The One Ring, which (to me) illustrates how a game system that is built from the ground up to support a specific setting, and pares away extraneous rules to get down to the essence...the "minimum viable product" as it were...of the fiction, can reinforce that setting. TOR changed my expectations/hopes of what RPGs could look like, and I was really hoping the Modiphius Conan game would do something similar. [/QUOTE]

Verification