Ravenswing
Iconoclast
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(nods) What CRKruger said.
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I've seen it in Warhammer 1e and L5R 1e.I remember the topic of walkovers was a big issue in the Savage Worlds community. The exploding dice mechanic makes it a game where even the toughest NPC can potentially be taken out with one blow. You'd regularly see this some GMs unhappy about how this ruined their carefully-planned boss fights. I never had a problem with it. It's not like it would happen every encounter, and when a monster did go down with one-shot, the players always loved it.
Happened with Los Diablos (Higher Demons in the form of bulls for those who don't know them) in our Deadlands game a few years back. They were a good bit above the PCs but were instantly taken out by one shot. A good laugh.I remember the topic of walkovers was a big issue in the Savage Worlds community. The exploding dice mechanic makes it a game where even the toughest NPC can potentially be taken out with one blow. You'd regularly see this some GMs unhappy about how this ruined their carefully-planned boss fights. I never had a problem with it. It's not like it would happen every encounter, and when a monster did go down with one-shot, the players always loved it.
No, the plugging is of a more delicate nature!By Borg behavior chip, do you mean everyone who got one actively assimilated others by kidnapping them and subjecting them to surgery (or maybe they just had to plug it into a personafix or skill wires slot? ) Yeah, that can be like Zombie-spread level of problem provided they have enough chips.
I remember the topic of walkovers was a big issue in the Savage Worlds community. The exploding dice mechanic makes it a game where even the toughest NPC can potentially be taken out with one blow.
I've seen it in Warhammer 1e and L5R 1e.
The worst was, perhaps unsurprisingly, an Elf Wardancer. Who by some fluke had 100 Initiative to the Bloodthirster's 99. Rolls a hit. Followed by 5 6s and a 5. Damage dice being roll a 6, roll again until you stop rolling them. Bloodhirster, he toughest monster in the game at the time, one shotted.
Actually, that would be a rather interesting concept for a post-apoc fantasy world - shopping centres as dungeons.
I remember the topic of walkovers was a big issue in the Savage Worlds community. The exploding dice mechanic makes it a game where even the toughest NPC can potentially be taken out with one blow. You'd regularly see this some GMs unhappy about how this ruined their carefully-planned boss fights. I never had a problem with it. It's not like it would happen every encounter, and when a monster did go down with one-shot, the players always loved it.
I remember the topic of walkovers was a big issue in the Savage Worlds community. The exploding dice mechanic makes it a game where even the toughest NPC can potentially be taken out with one blow. You'd regularly see this some GMs unhappy about how this ruined their carefully-planned boss fights. I never had a problem with it. It's not like it would happen every encounter, and when a monster did go down with one-shot, the players always loved it.
Never put a piece on the table that you're not willing to lose.It's a weird thing to me - I'm a definite latecomer to Savage Worlds in terms of its history, but I've caught up quickly. It was literally no issue to me as a player or GM. I mean, mechanics notwithstanding - I've allowed my PC's to take out major NPC's that were villains completely off-camera because their plans were solid and foolproof. Granted these cases are as uncommon (more so) than the rando-uber roll in Savage Worlds, the effect is the same - whether it's the mechanics or simply roleplay, nothing is so sacrosanct that the game magically ends unless we all agree it's over.
I certainly don't hinge the existence of a campaign on the existence of any one NPC or PC.
In addition, you also have groups where the combat is a key part of the game for them. I can understand the frustration if lay out your terrain and minis, ready for 45 minutes to an hour of tactical combat, only to have it end in the first round. It's not the style of game I run, but I get it.I suspect its connected to two things: a sense that anticlimax is not a good thing, and setting up single-points-of-failure. The latter is generically a mistake (something I learned the hard way decades ago, but not something I'm going to fault other people having the same--pleasant--reaction to when they learn it I did), the former is more complicated and turns on the kind of experience you're trying to present.
A common comment in my campaigns goes something likeI certainly don't hinge the existence of a campaign on the existence of any one NPC or PC.
Gee, Rob, why is it that I can kill everything in sight and I still have problems?
I had groups that were mostly about combat. The way I handle it is that combat has a context. For groups that are combat oriented, a sudden victory means they move onto the next thing to do. For example the next mission for a group that are mercenaries. There always something more they could be doing especially after it sunk in that I am that willing to go along with where ever they want to go. For folks that love fighting well it becomes in a sense finding more reasons to fight.In addition, you also have groups where the combat is a key part of the game for them. I can understand the frustration if lay out your terrain and minis, ready for 45 minutes to an hour of tactical combat, only to have it end in the first round. It's not the style of game I run, but I get it.
Yea, that is one aspect of people having a problem with quick kills. Another aspect can be when the game is built out of some expectation of what constitutes a challenge and then it being too easy. I occasionally ran into this with my Arcana Unearthed/Evolved campaigns where the whole D20 game cycle depended on Challenge Rating. One of several reasons I don't do D20 anymore (though when it played well, it really was a lot of fun).In addition, you also have groups where the combat is a key part of the game for them. I can understand the frustration if lay out your terrain and minis, ready for 45 minutes to an hour of tactical combat, only to have it end in the first round. It's not the style of game I run, but I get it.
Asia is where you want to go. Jakarta has something like 90 large shopping malls, but China is really king of the hill in that racket.Actually, that would be a rather interesting concept for a post-apoc fantasy world - shopping centres as dungeons.
In addition, you also have groups where the combat is a key part of the game for them. I can understand the frustration if lay out your terrain and minis, ready for 45 minutes to an hour of tactical combat, only to have it end in the first round. It's not the style of game I run, but I get it.
A common issue I do run into with combat focused groups is that the combat focus is usually a subgroup in the larger group. If there are six players we are talking two to four players. And one of those often but not always is had it is a wargame/boardgame mentality. They generally don't respond to the context in which combat takes players while the other do. So there is one type of players who just looks at situation as wargame scenarios to be gamed out and largely quiet when anything else is going on. These players are incredibly bored with classic D&D and other similar RPG with lite combat mechanics and do much better with systems with lots and lots of mechanical details for combat.
The other type of combat focused player that more common are willing to roleplay and like working their way up the "toughest guy" hierarchy to make their mark both fighting and the roleplaying.
Losing in style and admitting it is important!The second anecdote was the party in the evil haunted blasted City of Night, going after a vampire queen in her lair, with all her subvamps around her. The party leader was the most brilliant tactician I'd ever known, supreme in just about every wargame he played -- I counted myself lucky that on good days I could keep up with him, sorta maybe.
Only Doug was really pushing the pace, quite recklessly I thought. It seemed unlike him. But what the hell. Boss Fight ensues, way too early. Very messy, possible TPK in progress. And Doug's character gets knocked flat, but not out. Now. His character is an assassin, and he's got an overstrength crossbow. In GURPS, in any reasonable battle, a crossbow is a one-and-done weapon: shoot it, take out the guy you hit, but they take a bloody long time to reload, and it's much worse if you have an overstrength crossbow.
Doug's character is, mind you, flat on his side. In broken terrain. In a hellcity with Eternal Gloom. At range. With a broken right arm. And he aims his crossbow, one handed, and claim he's shooting for the Big Bad's heart. Without aiming. Which is so many minuses my head swam. This was REALLY unlike him: he not only knew better, he could recite off the minuses himself. (Those of you familiar with GURPS, even with this still being BSII missile rules, have a notion yourselves.)
And he throws 3d6 in a high arching loop, and while the dice are still in the air, he calls out, "The roll is a 3."
And before the dice hit, I remember.
See, several months before, the group did a very signal service for a very powerful wizard, who gifted them a Limited Wish ring. One-shot. The effect of Limited Wish in GURPS is that you can dictate one die roll in advance, of any sort, other than that affecting magic. Want to max out a damage roll, you can. Want to make sure your buddy makes his save, you can. Want to have the King's reaction roll towards you be really spiffy, you can.
And want to whomp the Big Bad vampire in the heart with a blessed wooden bolt? Sure. The roll is a 3.
I have never cursed so sulfurously in a game session, before or since. And possibly my players have never had such a hearty laugh at my expense, before or since. And the party sailed home in a cloud of glory, and we all went out to dinner at a local restaurant early, and I made sure to mutter a lot, and they all grinned a lot.
I just started soloing Traveller and I'm already, thanks to both my initial setting prep and the random news generator which is creating the living world as I play, faced with a hot war between two mainworlds over a balkanized colony.
Agreed. It's all a matter of degree really. An exploding dice mechanic or critical hit mechanic can make it much more frequent. But have to say when those odd rolls come up that save the day, they are some of the most memorable and exciting game sessions. There is even one where the players had made great plans to do something hard and the dice went against them, yet later in the very same encounter they got an amazing roll that saved the day. Great stuff.Yeah, walkovers are a part of the hand's-off approach you need to run a sandbox IMO. Sometimes it happens, I just pivot and move on, sometimes the party needs to feel like big damn heroes.