| From: | losthalo <losthalo@********.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: FASA's On/Off Course? |
| Date: | Thu, 7 May 1998 01:33:34 -0400 |
(me too)
>I have a mixed vote, I guess. I like what FASA is doing, but I think they
>are doing it to quickly. They did the same thing to Battletech. I was
>perfectly happy before the Fourth Succession War, then they spring that on
>us, and then, God help us, the frigging Clans show up and screwed up
>everything. Same problems with power curve, too.
Not only yes, but hell yes. Not only do I like Btech better without all
the fancier weapons and such of the clans and 3050 Inner Sphere tech, but I
think some of the ideas introduced into SR did the same thing. Both lost
some of the atmosphere they'd worked to build, and also undercut certain
ideas built into the game that I enjoyed...
For instance: Essence was once both a limiting factor on power, -and- a
roleplaying hook for those who pursued power. If you want speed, you have
to get The Wire. You get The Wire, you lose a bit of... you. Every trip
under the knife (and maybe what you have to do to get those trips under the
knife, too) changes you, and not just in the way the cyber makes you a
better killer. Two things undercut this, namely bioware and physical
adepts. Now, you could have faster speed than an unenhanced character
without essence loss (and the personality changes associated with it).
That, for me, is where SR began to lose its grit and become fantasy in a
technologically-advanced setting (yeah, I realize this is a-way back in 1st
ed :).
This is a cyberpunk setting, or was: everything is supposed to come with a
price.
This was even true of magicians, though in a different way. They had their
life pretty much taken up by being a magician. You either dedicated your
life to it, were defined by being a magician, or you were not. If you were
not, ou might do some magic, but you'd never reach anything like your real
potential. Obsession was not really optional.
>One thing I've yet to see if I like is there handling of magic. SRs magic
>system borrowed a lot from "real" magic, and had a very good feel to it.
>>From what I've seen the only person who currently grooves into this feel is
>Steve, who is not a FASA employee. This concerns me a bit, as it may mean
>more new magic rules that originate from a "this would be cool" feeling
>instead of "a logical extension of the magic system would be" kind of
>feeling. We'll see on this one.
I agree that some aspects of the magic system were introduced without
concern for where they might lead, or their effect on the atmosphere of the
game..
>As far as "where do I want to go today?": The path I'd like for SR is
>definately not the one FASA will take. I really like more street level
>plots, and FASA tends towards the Epic.
Exactly. SR started as gritty, street-level, with a little glamour for the
shadowrunners (with Sally depicted as much like the freewheeling AD&D
adventurer who runs from one big treasure score to the next). I mean, they
met in fraggin' clubs to make business deals... and that worked somehow.
"I hear you got a shadowrun cookin' Sally. Haven't heard how hot the fire
is, though."
(/me too)
losthalo@********.comwhileyouarelisteningyourwillingattentionismakingyoumore
andmoreintothepersonyouwanttobecome.
"Some things are true whether you believe in them or not."
