Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="woodelf" data-source="post: 1080420" data-attributes="member: 10201">um, according to everything i've read, D&amp;D3E is designed around the premise of 13 1/3 &quot;average&quot; encounters per level.&nbsp; Which i've always taken to mean probably a few more than that (because more of them will be easier than harder than this average).How would your D&amp;D players feel if you just hand-waved spellcasting, winging it as you go (and possibly making arbitrary rulings)?&nbsp; Why do you expect D20 players of any sort to be comfortable with GM fiat for the capabilities of their equipment?&nbsp; Me, i'd rather hand-wave the whole thing, making it up as we go.&nbsp; But, why would i use a crunchy game like most D20 games if that's what i want to do?&nbsp; Given the level of detail in combat and magic and movement, i don't think it's unreasonable to expect the same level of detail in tech.&nbsp; I think it is a fairly safe generalization that those who choose D20 games want fairly crunchy rules, and want lots of mechanical support for their ideas--and that this is not the crowd that wants to run a MiB game where they just wing the superscience.&nbsp; They *do* need rules for it.Let's see--a typical urban car chase is going to take place at, let's say, 50mph.&nbsp; That means covering ~400ft/rd.&nbsp; Or, 2 blocks every 3 rds.&nbsp; And could turn any direction at any time.&nbsp; Let's take a chase scene from a movie--probably 5min long.&nbsp; That's 50 rounds, during which time they could cover 34 typical city blocks.&nbsp; So you need to have a detailed map showing obstacles, rough traffic level, etc., for everything within 34 blocks in every direction of the start point--and you probably can't predict ahead of time where the chase is going to start, so...Heck, i drive cab for a living, so it is my *job* to know what i'm going to find on the road, and predict it a couple miles ahead of time so that i don't get caught.&nbsp; And i'm pretty good at it.&nbsp; But i'd still find it difficult to invent that sort of stuff on the fly, for large areas.A grid-oriented tactical-level system just isn't practical for chases through modern urban environments at modern vehicular speeds.&nbsp; Things change too much, too fast, and you need to have too much knowledge of the setting.&nbsp; An abstracted, strategic system (as in Spycraft) works much better because it puts less burden on the GM, doesn't require huge maps or lots of fiat, and flows more smoothly.&nbsp; I *also* don't think D20M has the support, in the form of cool stunts/feats, etc., for flashy chase sequence set-pieces, a la Mission: Impossible 2, Charlie's angels, or even the ending of True Crime.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="woodelf, post: 1080420, member: 10201"] um, according to everything i've read, D&D3E is designed around the premise of 13 1/3 "average" encounters per level. Which i've always taken to mean probably a few more than that (because more of them will be easier than harder than this average). How would your D&D players feel if you just hand-waved spellcasting, winging it as you go (and possibly making arbitrary rulings)? Why do you expect D20 players of any sort to be comfortable with GM fiat for the capabilities of their equipment? Me, i'd rather hand-wave the whole thing, making it up as we go. But, why would i use a crunchy game like most D20 games if that's what i want to do? Given the level of detail in combat and magic and movement, i don't think it's unreasonable to expect the same level of detail in tech. I think it is a fairly safe generalization that those who choose D20 games want fairly crunchy rules, and want lots of mechanical support for their ideas--and that this is not the crowd that wants to run a MiB game where they just wing the superscience. They *do* need rules for it. Let's see--a typical urban car chase is going to take place at, let's say, 50mph. That means covering ~400ft/rd. Or, 2 blocks every 3 rds. And could turn any direction at any time. Let's take a chase scene from a movie--probably 5min long. That's 50 rounds, during which time they could cover 34 typical city blocks. So you need to have a detailed map showing obstacles, rough traffic level, etc., for everything within 34 blocks in every direction of the start point--and you probably can't predict ahead of time where the chase is going to start, so... Heck, i drive cab for a living, so it is my *job* to know what i'm going to find on the road, and predict it a couple miles ahead of time so that i don't get caught. And i'm pretty good at it. But i'd still find it difficult to invent that sort of stuff on the fly, for large areas. A grid-oriented tactical-level system just isn't practical for chases through modern urban environments at modern vehicular speeds. Things change too much, too fast, and you need to have too much knowledge of the setting. An abstracted, strategic system (as in Spycraft) works much better because it puts less burden on the GM, doesn't require huge maps or lots of fiat, and flows more smoothly. I *also* don't think D20M has the support, in the form of cool stunts/feats, etc., for flashy chase sequence set-pieces, a la Mission: Impossible 2, Charlie's angels, or even the ending of True Crime. [/QUOTE]

Verification