I’ve been playing since the demise of SR1 and running games from the beginning of SR2, since then a lot of rules have been modified, officially or house ruled. I also picked up a limited edition of SR4 when it was released. However, was well into a longterm SR3 scenario, and so didn’t get into reading SR4 hardly at all. Save to be shocked at the total game mechanics change.
I have done a lot of search/ read over the past few weeks and it is obvious that there are passions on both sides of the SR4 coin. I am going to attempt a new SR4 campaign at least for a trial. My players are very set in their ways and I must admit several of the rules just rub me 100% the wrong way.
So without further procrastination here are the questions/ statement I have.
1. The idea of 0 dice meaning the test is impossible. Before you say ‘Edge’, if you are out of Edge? SOL? There are plenty of time IRL that I know my chance for succeeding at something are between slim and nil. But that doesn’t stop me from trying.
Some of the house rules I have seen allow for a minimum of 1 die. Hmmm… nothing really to comment on I suppose, just hard for me to swallow the: “No you can’t Fing roll a die!� mentality.
2. Variable Condition monitor + Body resistance die.
The old Mechanic was simple, variable body dice to roll with a static condition monitor.
D&D style play has no resistance but a variable health (read condition monitor)
It seems to stack both mechanics together makes for weak body characters that get double whammy. Few dice to resist and fewer boxes to lose. Where-as high body = more resist + more boxes.
2b. Variable wound penalties:
I get the loss of damage levels, whether or not I agree is irrelevant. With levels though I knew a serious wound was a sucking chest wound or missing limb. Simple, and it didn’t matter if you were 2� tall or 20’ tall, a serious wound was relative to you. You were in for serious hurt.
With the static -1 die per 3 boxes of damage + variable boxes per person relative damage doesn’t exist. 8 boxes of damage to a 2 body character means -2 dice and nearly dead. * boxes to a massive troll means the same, except he is only half hurt. That troll can continue for -4 dice.
Why does more body denote less function before death? Again damage does not seem to be relative anymore.
There are other things, but Ill keep them silent for abit.
In summery it seems that the mechanic/ rules want everyone to play a troll with max body and edge.
No I am not counting magic as the balance at this point. I feel it is weak to play the rock paper scissors game.
I suppose the questions I am asking is; why?
If a low body attribute is its own penalty (lower die to roll) why is it penalized more by having fewer hitpoi… Boxes?
If a high body attribute is its own reward (higher die to roll) why is it rewarded more by having more hitpoi… Boxes?
Why can’t someone attempt that insanely difficult test? (post edge)
(no, not called shot through a concrete sphere type difficult…) (The floating TNs allowed for chances… TN 31?? However remote it is possible and I have seen a few of those happen in my day)
*note* there is a difference between non-logical test ‘attempts’ and just extremely unlikely.
I find I was house ruling several rules to SR3, just so they worked how I liked. But honestly, how much reversion do you do before you finally realize you really want to play the other rules.
Done rambling I suppose.
Thanky for the ear to bend,
Claude