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<blockquote data-quote="pawsplay" data-source="post: 4985746" data-attributes="member: 15538">Hit points simulate staying power. &quot;Realism&quot; is something different than simulation. A game can be quite narrative and also realistic. D&amp;D characters have lots of hit points because they are heroic. While some of the rationale may involve story-making, at bottom, hit points are for letting 6th level fighters wade through a squad of goblins because that's what 6th level fighters do. Dragons don't get more hit points because they are more significant in story terms or because they are meant to win, but because they are tougher. D&amp;D simulates swords-and-sorcery, and Conan, like most action heroes, can withstand a lot of combat. High hit points simulate Conan getting hacked at by brigands and walking away with only flesh wounds and bruises.Healing surges, in their general use, are more narratavist, because the player decides when they think it's important to win, basically.Things can get very muddy... Torg characters live in a reality where dramatic action is reality, and hence their Possibility Points are both meta-game and in-game. From a meta standpoint, they allow dramatic action and are spent at the player's behest. From an in-game standpoint, they represent the manipulation of reality by a determined protagonist.That's pretty muddy. Hit points, though, are simple. They represent, abstractly, your ability to not die, and they are whittled down by attacks and hazards until one gets you. Very simulationist.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pawsplay, post: 4985746, member: 15538"] Hit points simulate staying power. "Realism" is something different than simulation. A game can be quite narrative and also realistic. D&D characters have lots of hit points because they are heroic. While some of the rationale may involve story-making, at bottom, hit points are for letting 6th level fighters wade through a squad of goblins because that's what 6th level fighters do. Dragons don't get more hit points because they are more significant in story terms or because they are meant to win, but because they are tougher. D&D simulates swords-and-sorcery, and Conan, like most action heroes, can withstand a lot of combat. High hit points simulate Conan getting hacked at by brigands and walking away with only flesh wounds and bruises. Healing surges, in their general use, are more narratavist, because the player decides when they think it's important to win, basically. Things can get very muddy... Torg characters live in a reality where dramatic action is reality, and hence their Possibility Points are both meta-game and in-game. From a meta standpoint, they allow dramatic action and are spent at the player's behest. From an in-game standpoint, they represent the manipulation of reality by a determined protagonist. That's pretty muddy. Hit points, though, are simple. They represent, abstractly, your ability to not die, and they are whittled down by attacks and hazards until one gets you. Very simulationist. [/QUOTE]

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