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CONAN LIVES! Info on the new Conan RPG
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<blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 6683043" data-attributes="member: 92305"><p>And tension between the players, too, don't forget that, as players get mad at that idiot who keeps building the threat pool because the player is trying to make his character do risky and heroic things.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>That may be.</p><p></p><p>But, Threat also tells the players, "Hey! Expect more obstacles, enemies, and complications" for a purely meta-game reason when the characters have no legitimate reason at all to expect things to get harder.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Rising tension in a story or game is great. I'm just saying that the Threat Pool is the wrong way to achieve that effect.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>EXAMPLE OF WHY THREAT STINKS....</strong></p><p></p><p>Conan ventures into Thulsa Doom's mountain alone. He fights the guards at the mouth of the cave, and buys some Threat. But, his heroics pay off, and he enters the cavern complex.</p><p></p><p>Inside, Conan runs into a squad of more guards. Again, Conan pushes his luck, buys some more threat, and takes 'em all out.</p><p></p><p>Now, Conan players sees the Threat Pool. It's too high for the player's taste. All of a sudden, bold, risky Conan is now backing off from those heroics, becoming more conservative.</p><p></p><p>He's done nothing but demolish every foe that has stood in front of him. But the player now knows that the GM has a good amount of Threat to play with.</p><p></p><p>So Conan becomes....cautious.</p><p></p><p>For no other reason than the meta-game mechanic of the Threat Pool has gotten high!</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>So, the GM sees the total, spends the Threat Points on bringing out Thorgrim and Rexor, Doom's right hand men, who proceed to capture Conan.</p><p></p><p>If Conan hadn't been so heroic earlier, the GM would not have the points to activate these two, strong NPCs together. But, because Conan was risky and heroic, he pays for that heroism now by having to face two of the strongest NPCs in this scenario, shay of Thulsa Doom himself.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Time passes, and Valeria and Subotai are worried. They go after Conan, even though they said that they'd stay behind.</p><p></p><p>There is NO THREAT left in the pool. The GM spent it on activating Thorgrim and Rexor above, who captured Conan (which probably would not have happened without the GM using the Threat Pool).</p><p></p><p>So, as Valeria and Subotai approach the mouth of the cave in search of their missing comrade--when they should be concerned about the situation at their utmost--the players are actually pretty calm and lackadaisical about their entrance into Thulsa Doom's fortress--the place that swallowed up their friend.</p><p></p><p>Why?</p><p></p><p><strong>BECAUSE THERE'S NO DOGGONE POINTS IN THE THREAT POOL.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Threat isn't a good roleplaying mechanic. It's something for use on a board game or a card game. </p><p></p><p>It's a meta-game tool.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Water Bob, post: 6683043, member: 92305"] And tension between the players, too, don't forget that, as players get mad at that idiot who keeps building the threat pool because the player is trying to make his character do risky and heroic things. That may be. But, Threat also tells the players, "Hey! Expect more obstacles, enemies, and complications" for a purely meta-game reason when the characters have no legitimate reason at all to expect things to get harder. Rising tension in a story or game is great. I'm just saying that the Threat Pool is the wrong way to achieve that effect. [B]EXAMPLE OF WHY THREAT STINKS....[/B] Conan ventures into Thulsa Doom's mountain alone. He fights the guards at the mouth of the cave, and buys some Threat. But, his heroics pay off, and he enters the cavern complex. Inside, Conan runs into a squad of more guards. Again, Conan pushes his luck, buys some more threat, and takes 'em all out. Now, Conan players sees the Threat Pool. It's too high for the player's taste. All of a sudden, bold, risky Conan is now backing off from those heroics, becoming more conservative. He's done nothing but demolish every foe that has stood in front of him. But the player now knows that the GM has a good amount of Threat to play with. So Conan becomes....cautious. For no other reason than the meta-game mechanic of the Threat Pool has gotten high! So, the GM sees the total, spends the Threat Points on bringing out Thorgrim and Rexor, Doom's right hand men, who proceed to capture Conan. If Conan hadn't been so heroic earlier, the GM would not have the points to activate these two, strong NPCs together. But, because Conan was risky and heroic, he pays for that heroism now by having to face two of the strongest NPCs in this scenario, shay of Thulsa Doom himself. Time passes, and Valeria and Subotai are worried. They go after Conan, even though they said that they'd stay behind. There is NO THREAT left in the pool. The GM spent it on activating Thorgrim and Rexor above, who captured Conan (which probably would not have happened without the GM using the Threat Pool). So, as Valeria and Subotai approach the mouth of the cave in search of their missing comrade--when they should be concerned about the situation at their utmost--the players are actually pretty calm and lackadaisical about their entrance into Thulsa Doom's fortress--the place that swallowed up their friend. Why? [B]BECAUSE THERE'S NO DOGGONE POINTS IN THE THREAT POOL. [/B] Threat isn't a good roleplaying mechanic. It's something for use on a board game or a card game. It's a meta-game tool. [/QUOTE]
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