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Message: <blockquote data-quote="HeapThaumaturgist" data-source="post: 1832614" data-attributes="member: 12332">Writing up a bit of a story hour as we speak.  Trying to make it more of a one-shot SH, as I already have two running concurrently and barely have the time to update ONE on monthly basis.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />As to how this was a better experience:I think the lower PL helped quite a bit.  Saves ranged from +4 - +10 in the Damage column.  This left the d20 roll still providing alot of the determination in the game.  At PL 10, the DIFFERENCES between bonuses seemed to outweigh the roll.  If your save wasn't huge, and their attack WAS huge, you got creamed regardless of the roll alot of the time.Another thing that helped, and added to the above, was the lack of alot of Maxed-Out powers and abilities.  Everybody was "rounded" with maybe 1 odd-off power that was maxed out.  Sam Hell (who wasn't played, and became an NPC) was big on skills with Super-Int, Super-Wis, and lots of skill points spread around.  Guido had gunplay feats, twin Double Eagles, and his maxed-out skill was "Mo Guns, Mo Guns, Mo Guns", or gadgets flawed out to only guns but given some additional choices for extras.  Early on he gadgeted out an AK-47 and had fun wailing with autofire and a big DC.  Moonpie had maxed out Telekinesis (from spirit helpers) and she had fun using that to good effect.  Sullivan had maxed out Luck, etc etc.In our original PL 10 try-out, characters like Minotaur had max Super STR, max Damage Saves, etc etc.  Some of the other characters, who weren't as maxed in areas, really seemed to fall behind.This time I didn't make a maxed-out Powerhouse.  Howard had pretty good strength (and only 1 point of Super STR) and alot of grappling feats, along with a bunch of extra limbs.  He got to be the major melee combatant, but he didn't rule the day with Damage DCs 5-10 points higher than any other character could reach and he wasn't invincible with a Damage Save 5-10 points higher than any other PC.Sullivan, for instance, was the least-damaging character with an average DC only 4 points lower (+3) than the highest (+7) which was Guido using Point Blank Shot and his AK-47.  Sullivan had a sneak attack that brought him to +6 in some situations, though, so he felt like he could contribute to every combat.The enemies, as well, were more rounded.  I had quickly statted out two Powerhouses "Lummox Red" and "Lummox Blue" with maxed DMG saves.  Nobody but Minotaur could touch them.  The other PCs wailed on them for ten rounds, racking up some hits but never taking them down.  This time the damage saves were all across the board, with the D20 roll being quite important ... so there were zombies that just wouldn't stay dead and sometimes even the powerful Skerrl would get Disabled from an early lucky hit.  It made the players feel like they could all accomplish something against each foe.Even DeadPuppy, with a DMG bonus of +0, got 3 lucky Natural 20s and wreaked havok with some of the badguys.I'd say that a more esoteric mix of powers for badguys and goodguys was the key.  No maxed out Super-STR, no maxed out Protection.  Nobody was 5-10 points "better" than everybody else at combat, nobody felt invincible while the others could possibly flub a roll and get creamed.I think they also got more used to the "At Least 10" on the Hero Points rerolls, as well, meaning nobody got tatered in the first round of combat (as happened the first round of the first combat last time), though there were a few Stunned ratings and Guido racked up 4 lethal hits from zombies and Skerrl.--fje</blockquote>

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