GMMichael
Guide of Modos
I'm reading a post that talks about levelling up/skill up/what have you, and seeing some algebra involved: at level x-1 you need x experience points to do (some cool thing). Now, this process is probably written out in plain language or found in a table, so there's no actual Solve For X required. But it raises the question...
How much math skill can an RPG expect from its players?
The lowest level is, what, compare high/low? Or identify numbers (did I roll a 6 or not)?
Then you get notorious addition and its dark sibling, subtraction. Hit points love these guys.
Multiply: critical times 2! Divide: energy resistance!
Exponents I have not seen, but it seems like something for a warmech game or mass warfare.
And then there's algebra. This is ripe for GM-designed puzzles, but do the rules ever call for algebra? Is it too much? For example, should a character's carrying capacity x equal her heart score times 5? What if the number of appearing goblins x should equal the current hit points of the party members y divided by 10?
For reference, Modos 2 uses compare high/low (e.g. contests and damage), addition (e.g. add hero point roll to contest), subtraction (protection from damage), and division (use half of the highest roll). The one place where I see algebra is possibly my least favorite part of the game: with the Bonus Action perk, you gain bonus actions x equal to your normal attribute less 11, then divided by four (round down). Evidently, I lean toward 5th grade levels of math expectations, because now I'd rather use a Bonus Action perk that just says: "you gain a bonus action if you are 5th level. You can take this perk again to gain additional bonus actions after levels 9, 13, and 17."
How much math skill can an RPG expect from its players?
The lowest level is, what, compare high/low? Or identify numbers (did I roll a 6 or not)?
Then you get notorious addition and its dark sibling, subtraction. Hit points love these guys.
Multiply: critical times 2! Divide: energy resistance!
Exponents I have not seen, but it seems like something for a warmech game or mass warfare.
And then there's algebra. This is ripe for GM-designed puzzles, but do the rules ever call for algebra? Is it too much? For example, should a character's carrying capacity x equal her heart score times 5? What if the number of appearing goblins x should equal the current hit points of the party members y divided by 10?
For reference, Modos 2 uses compare high/low (e.g. contests and damage), addition (e.g. add hero point roll to contest), subtraction (protection from damage), and division (use half of the highest roll). The one place where I see algebra is possibly my least favorite part of the game: with the Bonus Action perk, you gain bonus actions x equal to your normal attribute less 11, then divided by four (round down). Evidently, I lean toward 5th grade levels of math expectations, because now I'd rather use a Bonus Action perk that just says: "you gain a bonus action if you are 5th level. You can take this perk again to gain additional bonus actions after levels 9, 13, and 17."