| From: | TopCat <topcat@***.NET> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: We Don't Need No Stinkin' Munchies!!! [Was Sr3 Combat spells] |
| Date: | Thu, 17 Jul 1997 15:51:21 -0500 |
> I think I like Matt's approach a little better (Matt is one of our
>2 GM's). He says "You guys can have any weapon in the book, as long as
>I get to shoot you with it first." Needless to say, we have a pretty
>conservative group, powerful-item wise. In our current campaign, my
>techie/thief/gun-guy (who happens to be the deadliest combat guy so far
>in this group) has a Walther PB-120, a Savalette Guardian and a Narcojet
>pistol. By keeping the power level low on our side, intentionally, the
>power levels encountered will most often match. When the opposing force
>is better equipped, it just makes it more fun and challenging.
Sounds good to me and it's essentially what I do as well. I told my players
to think about this...
What would you do if you saw a guy regularly walking down the street with a
shotgun in his hands? What would the police do? What would local gangers
and criminal orgs do? Now change that shotgun to whatever weapon you want
and then tell me what you want to buy...
>> As I've said before and will doubtlessly have to say again, play as you
>> want. Just don't try to state that powergaming is the norm in the game and
>> everything will be just fine. Also, don't try to accomodate powergaming by
>> altering the rules to demand such a practice. As far as I know, you haven't
>> done so. You've missed my point often by a considerable degree, but
>> hopefully this post will cure that.
> I don't want to sound too antagonistic here, but you seem to be
>contradicting yourself. First you say "play as you want" then you go
>on to say "don't try to accomodate powergaming by altering the rules
>to demand such a practice." If that is how a group wants to play then
>what's wrong with that? We all have our house rules, and every one of
>those house rules will look munchkinous or powergamery to someone who
>does not play in that group. Live and let live. Now if you were both
>arguing a point over game balance within the affected system...
Not contradicting and you and I are actually on the same wavelength here. I
don't want the actual canonical rules of SR changed to expect and demand
powergaming. As they are now, they are fine in many regards (combat spells
being one of those). The rules do not currently demand powergaming, though,
like all systems, they are susceptible to it. If canonical combat spell
rules were changed to fit the viewpoint of a powergamed campaign, then
gradually everyone would *have* to be powergamed in order to survive
(low-powered games would be impossible due to powergamed canonical rules).
This practice works much like nuclear escalation. Make one aspect of a game
more powerful and the others rush to equal and then exceed that level.
Evetually we all end up playing Rifts because it's the lowest-powered game
out there...
I have no problem with powergamed.munchkinous house rules so long as they
remain house rules (not in my house) and not canon. So were we really off
on this topic or not?
--
Bob Ooton
topcat@***.net
