| From: | Bull bull@***********.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | SR2 v. SR3 [was: Re: Deciper press release link] |
| Date: | Thu, 9 Sep 1999 05:56:25 -0400 |
>> I get the impression that you feel that SR3 was not needed. Think
>> again
>>
>
>Now, this is the real issue. I'm not really set in my ways when it comes to
>SR3. So, tell me, why is it better than SR2? Any opinions are welcome, as
>they will provide me with ammunition when I make my decision to adopt or
>reject SR3. The better the justifications, the better my chances of
>convincing players and GM that it's "the right thing to do."
>
>So, why is SR3 better than SR2? Why was it necessary? And what isn't better?
>What's worse? I'd like to hear people's opinions.
>
Well, in all honesty your milage will vary on these answers as there are a
few people who like the things from SR2 better. BUT... Here goes, some of
the changes that were made, and why they were made...
First off, one of the biggest reasons for SR3 wasn;t even Rules related.
It was a matter of what a new Player/GM had to buy to use the book. The
Rigging and Decking rules in the SR2 rulebook were now useless, having been
superceded by the superior Rigger 2 and VR2 rules (Though VR 2 needs badly
edited and rewritten). Magic was a fubared Cluster Frag (Look in the logs
for the FAB/Astral Space debate in about August/September of 1996 for a
great example of why Magic needed fixed). And the book simply needed a
nice overhaul.
Going with rules...
Skill System was changed over. Old system used a goofy Skill Web that
wasn;t bad, you followed skills along various "paths" and each pip that you
hit was a modifier. However, one problem with this is that theoretically
(And often jokingly said) you could default driving skills to firearms, or
pretty much ANYTHING for a munchkin to Firearms.
The new systems uses a much simpler breakdown of linked skills, and links
them to an attribute, making it harder to raise skills above the linked
attribute. Personally, I love this for sheer game balance. And it makes
defaults easier, in general, and prevents defaulting one skill to something
TOTALLY unrelated and unrealistic.
Initiative was changed to balance things out. The Super Sammy doesn;t go 5
times before the mage, and a lone Sammy against a gang of 6 uncybered
Street Thugs actually has a challenge on his hands. Once upon a time, if
you didn;t have speed enhancements, you were probably dead. Especially if
you were the mage.
Along those lines was the changes to the amount that combat pool refreshed.
Instead of refreshing every action, it refreshes when you roll Initiative
again. Using the same Sammy vs. Thugs example above, That sammy has only a
single pool to defend against all 6 thugs, as well as to attack back.
Chances are, he's gonna die, unless he's got a LOT of Armor, Skill, and Body.
Let's see... Magic was simplified and clarified so that the Magic Rules
followed the same type of system that everything else did. Astral Space
was cleaned up and clarified so that most of it actually makes sense now.
Overall, there were a lot of changes to the system that were designed to
clarify and simplify the game, as well as restore balance ro the game.
And in general, with the exception of a (very) few people who just don;t
feel like buying a whole new set of books, the biggest reason people have
(and won't admit to) for using SR2 over SR3 is that it kills the power of
their characters.
And another great reson for using SR3 over SR2 is that SR2 isn;t being
supported anymore <grin>
Bull
--
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