Message no. 1

From:	"I.M. Legion" <legion@***.SC.COLOSTATE.EDU>
Subject:	Re: Karma pool rounding (still)
Date:	Wed, 15 Jun 1994 12:18:28 -0600

Nightstalker + Powerhouse, I believe we agree that that the karma pool *is*
the "save-your-ass" pool. That is the best way for it to be played. If another
interpretation is is used, it might as well be translated into an automatic
success pool for the role-playing impaired. Sometimes missing your target is
a possibility, no matter what the skill of the character. Sometimes you're not
going to be able to negotiate your fixer up to the price you want. Hey,
shit happens.

Here's an example: (this rambles a bit, so bear with me) I started playing
in a new campaign in January. It is an almost "true-to-the-book" rules
campaign -- very few alterations. I play a human street-samurai (I know,
boring...) named Chains. We could not take a tech higher than 90,000 or
buy anything with an avail. higher than 6 during character creation. Sort of
a self-imposed limit. As you can guess, the character has limited cyber,
no bioware and a fair amount of skills. During the course of the campaign,
Chains has earned a total of 109 karma (6 personal pool, 5 team pool).
Skills cannot be increased unlessed used or practised, and time must be
devoted to raising attributes. Chains has developed a couple of new skills
and raised some existing ones. Now, with his Firearms skill of 7, he can
throw 14 dice, if need be, to make a shot. The chances are pretty good that
he'll get the job done. Guns iz whut he duz. Over the course of the campaign,
I don't believe that Chains has used more than 50 karma for re-rolls TOTAL.
In every situation that he has had to, it has truly been a "save-your-ass"
situation, or at the very least a "must-happen" situation. Sure, he gets
shot, misses sometimes, gets wounded... That's life. But he always comes out
on top due to good character development and IMHO fair-to-good roleplaying.

I'm not saying that I'm a better role-player than anyone else (The Grand Poobah
knows, I've dozed off my fair share of times), I'm just trying to illustrate
my point that karma should not be used "every time the dice hit the table."

Please flame, tear apart, munch on... the list is a little slow today.
Hearn hasn't shut off the mail yet! :-)

--
Legion
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