Victory Points: Anyone Tried 'Em?

[the Jester]

Has anyone tried using the victory point framework for battlefield adventures presented in Heroes of Battle? How did it go? What kind of results did the pcs achieve, how broad of a range of results did you allow for (via victory points) and what was your general opinion of them?

I'm prolly going to be trying them out next game or two, so I'm interested in any info anyone can provide me about their experiences with this system. Also recognition points, though I find those much less compelling.

Thanks!

 

[IronWolf]

Though I haven't had the chance to use them yet, I hope you post back here with your results and look forward to seeing the answers to your question. Seemed an interesting concept to me when I read through the book.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I used them for the first week after getting Heroes of Battle - and not even in a straight up D&D game! (The last game of my OGL Steampunk campaign before I switched it over to Spycraft 2.0)

They worked well, and in a much more narrative fashion than my normal 'wargame it out' method. It will not replace that method every time, but it is always good to have alternatives.

The PCs did not manage to turn the tide of battle, but did manage to retreat in an orderly fashion, keeping the bulk of their army alive. The PCs were the recon and command elements of a small cavalry force, while the Prussians had two batteries of artillery in an improved, elevated position. Full victory was possible, but very unlikely, and the results could have been much worse. Think Charge of the Light Brigade bad... The enemy had the ground, the range, and in the opening encounter an excellent chance of surprise. A small force might have been able to silence the guns, but in the end the best option was to fall back, then attempt to flank one of the improved positions, and silencing only one battery - which is what they did, allowing their unit an avenue of escape. Following the Franco Prussian War the Germans had some excellent artillery for the period, so it could have been much worse.

All in all I liked the system.

The Auld Grump

 

[the Jester]

Well, the game in which I plan to use the VP framework is today- assuming my pcs don't do something unexpected or take significantly longer than I anticipate. I'll post results once I have 'em.