From:	The Kumquat <LAYBROWNJT@***.CUIS.EDU>
Subject:	Re: Whirled Sourcebooks
Date:	Mon, 21 Aug 1995 19:39:09 -0500

Here are my beginning thoughts on some of the new sourcebooks/rules and their
effect on The Holy Game Balance(TM). The newest munchkin rulebook, following in
the footsteps of Shadowtech, Cybertechnology, actually seems to COUNTERACT some
of the damage done by the aforementioned bio-book. I am continually surprised
at the care taken by FASA to ensure that every major advantage also has a price
hefty enough to justify its possible unbalancing effects on game play. Usually,
though not always, when all of the rules are used, things tend to balance
themselves nicely, because FASA planned it that way... usually when things go
wrong, its because certain essential balancing rules are eliminated for the
sake of simplicity, since no one can memorize and use every option. The
easiest way to correct this problem is for GMs to stop before eliminating any
"base" rule or adding any optional rule or concept, and ask themselves
"What
could this do to balance in my campaign? If I add this rule, is there enough
balance to ensure that no type of character or individual becomes
disproportionately powerful as compared to my other PCs and NPCs?" "If we
ignore this rule, why was it there in the first place?" My making sure you know
the answers to these questions, you can avoid the twin demons of TOO MUCH POWER
and TOO MANY RULES, with only a little difficulty.

Case In point - Cybermancy: A blend of magic and technology which allows an
individual to augment his body with cyberware which brings him BELOW 0 essence,
maintaining an essentially dead body with special machinery to keep the body
going, and magic to convince the spirit to stick around in the karmic wasteland
of flesh.(Oooh, description!) While this rule literally allows certain players
to become walking tanks, it has, in the SB, 4 PAGES of disadvantages, including
the fact that almost noone can do the treatment except a major megacorp which
the character has to convince to make this hefty "investment", the expensive
chemicals and medicines to keep the meat alive, the increased chance of death,
chance of cancer, chance of simply "forgetting" you're alive and dropping stone
dead, the voices in your head, the loss of willpower, and last,but not least,
the fact that you downright scare the drek out of just about everyone who meets
you... I'd say that the disadvantages MORE than make up for the priveledge of
being able to get that extra cyberspur, neh? It also effectively creates a new
way for characters to develop and ROLEplay. In the same sourcebook,
cyber/bioware conflicts and low essence effect on bioware rules will slow down
that munchkin who is just drooling over his superamped, bio-busting
arnie-awesome... And thats Just the rules! I'll post more on what these books
mean for the SR world plot as a whole later... let everyones eyes rest from
scanning 2 pages of my babbling.

Just My Two Pence.
The Kumquat.

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