From:	James Ojaste <jojaste@*****.CSCLUB.UWATERLOO.CA>
Subject:	Re: SR Comp Comments
Date:	Mon, 2 Dec 1996 12:44:05 -0500

Bull wrote:
> EDGES/FLAWS
[snip]
> However, once again, I can see the potential for Min/Maxing and abuse, and
> if a GM doesn't play up backgrounds and personal stuff, Most of these Flaws
> will be ignored, and only Edges taht give good combat bonuses will be taken,
> and I would suggest these type of games not use the E/F rules...

I'd recommend that any GMs that want to use these insist that all Edges
and Flaws be balanced (ie don't let them buy Edges with Building Points).

> OPTIONAL KARMA RULES
[snip]
> However, i can tell that the Cash for karma, or karma for Cash rules are WAY
> too low for my game... Basically, depending on the level of your game, the
> value goes from 100 to 1000 Nuyen per karma... I really do not agree with
> this...

Yeah - in our current game, players have negotiated karma for cash at
10k-15k (our GM has ruled that if you can give karma to a spirit, you
can give it to a person).

> Karma is not that cheap, and it should be worth a great deal more,
> considering how necessary it is, and how hard it is usually to earn... I
> would say that it should go from 1000 to 10000 per Nuyen, although the sale
> of Karma should be restricted and regulated, regardless of value, or else it
> is too cheap... Give the players that rare oppurtunity to do this, and play
> it up into the game...

Well, *I* wouldn't sell my hard-earned karma for 1k apiece!

> Something like a player has a chance to donate to a Orphanage to save it
> from forclosure... He spends 10000 of his Hard Earned Nuyen donated
> privately to this Orphanage, and thus gains the favor of the Spirits (or
> whatever), ganing him a karma point or two...

Wait a sec - the rules don't mention *any* cost for *buying* karma, only
*selling* it. Personally, I think it'd be pretty hard to find a source
for karma - it's going to cost for a) finding the source, and b) high
demand. Every mage wants to buy karma.

> MAGIC
>
> Well, the new Wild Surge Rules are interesting, but generally not all that
> useful... Basically, it seems to be a misfire chart if you critically fail
> the test with your basic skill dice... And while the results are

No - it's meant to take effect on *every* roll. I believe the table
was reprinted from CFS (don't have it handy, sorry).

> interesting, I don't think that it's all that big of a thing that it will
> make any sort of impact on the game, and is just one more set of numbers,
> dice, and charts to keep track of... Wait a minute, that sounds an awful
> lot like... <gasp> ROLE-MASTER! AHHHHHH! <grin>

No impact? Oh, look - your drain just got staged up! Or, "you know that
force 6 manaball you cast? Astral forces have diluted it into a Force 3".
Nasty.

> Overall, on a scale of 1-10, I'd give the book a 6.5-7.5. It's not a bad
> bool, and seems to be especially useful to newer GM's, and has some cool

I'd give it a 7.5-8; plenty of interesting little rules changes. I intend
to do a lot of playing around with the new metatypes and point-based
system. Finally, you can have a starting character with between 400k and 1M
nuyen!

James

--
As paranoia fills his mind, the champion of the night runs through
the shadows cast by the amber streetlights above and he wonders,
"Maybe I should get a life?"
jojaste@******.uwaterloo.ca, http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/u/jojaste