Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 8747648" data-attributes="member: 177">...for you, perhaps.&nbsp; Not a good game for you.I have liked games where the only way for a character to die was for the player to choose it (Sentinels Comics RPG, for instance).&nbsp; I have liked games where the only way for a character to die was if the GM specifically chooses it (Fate).&nbsp; And all sorts in between.So, for you, only certain kinds of games will do.&nbsp; That's okay, but it doesn't generalize to everyone else.&nbsp; But even then....Before you go off on this tear, let us remember that critical hits were not a part of core AD&amp;D rules until 3e!&nbsp; In 1e and 2e, you had to dig around in magazines and mimeographed fanzines to find critical hit tables if you wanted to use them.Ergo, critical hits, in and of themselves, are not what make combat an interesting challenge. So, the thing you seem to miss... or hyperbolically elide over, at least, is that critical hits are not the only randomness in the game!&nbsp; It is not like by removing critical hits, suddenly challenges become foregone conclusionBecause, dude, we still use dice.&nbsp; Random numbers are still in play.&nbsp; Characters and parties were killed off by bad luck for decades before critical hits became the usual thing.&nbsp; This merely puts a cap on how large an effect one particular die roll by the GM can have.Beyond that... honestly, if the GM requires the rules as a shield from adversarial positioning, that's an issue of table interpersonal dynamics, not game design.&nbsp; If you cannot make it clear that the table is friends who are interested in good times, not in being adversarial, the rules won't save you.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 8747648, member: 177"] ...for you, perhaps. Not a good game [I]for you[/I]. I have liked games where the only way for a character to die was for the player to choose it (Sentinels Comics RPG, for instance). I have liked games where the only way for a character to die was if the GM specifically chooses it (Fate). And all sorts in between. So, for you, only certain kinds of games will do. That's okay, but it doesn't generalize to everyone else. But even then.... Before you go off on this tear, let us remember that critical hits were not a part of core AD&D rules until 3e! In 1e and 2e, you had to dig around in magazines and mimeographed fanzines to find critical hit tables if you wanted to use them. Ergo, critical hits, in and of themselves, are not what make combat an interesting challenge. So, the thing you seem to miss... or hyperbolically elide over, at least, is that critical hits are not the only randomness in the game! It is not like by removing critical hits, suddenly challenges become foregone conclusion Because, dude, we still use dice. Random numbers are still in play. Characters and parties were killed off by bad luck for decades before critical hits became the usual thing. This merely puts a cap on how large an effect one particular die roll by the GM can have. Beyond that... honestly, if the GM [I]requires[/I] the rules as a shield from adversarial positioning, that's an issue of table interpersonal dynamics, not game design. If you cannot make it clear that the table is friends who are interested in good times, not in being adversarial, the rules won't save you. [/QUOTE]

Verification