Re: [BNW] New game for me

["Malcolm Knight" <malcolm.knight@cableinet.co.uk>]

From: Steve Crow <crow_steve@hotmail.com>

> As was stated in the basic rules, you can come up with any package you
want
> to.

Ahhh, the old "the rules say you can make up anything you want" line. We
don't need an expensive rule book to tell us that. But look at it from the
other side of the argument, whilst everything you feel you need cannot be
place in one book (or even a set of books), your paying some else to fill
out
the details of the background, thus allowing you to weave stories of daring
do placed in that background. If you do not like an aspect of that
background you are free to try and alter that aspect whilst maintaining the
rest of the stuff you do like, but the detail you paid for is there.

> Ummm, so what?  Again there is no rule that states there absolutely must
be
> one type of Phaser, and no more, and it must be Matt's.

But one will be better than the other, and the balance of power will be
shifted. Unless they are vastly different in style, and they probably won't
be since they're meant to be the same thing, the players will gravitate to
the more powerful of the two and squeeze out the weaker to be relegated to a
NPC only character type.
    And if you keep the weaker and disallow the stronger, then the players
will complain that "you had it wrong/you had it right the first time", the
more powerful one was more in style with the came and that was the worst
call ever...blah be blah be blah. Alternately, the BNW supplements that
mention these
new character types can give you a template for them when they start
throwing them around and everyone will be happy from the start.

> >My complaint isn't that it isn't a meta-character
> >creation system, it's that it is a package system with far too few, and
too
> >expensive (in dollars and cents) packages available.
>
> There are an _infinite_ number of power options in BNW.  They just aren't
> defined (as you kinda note), although Matt will occasionally print some of
> his own.  Those are no better or worse than those you or me the Guide
might
> come out with.

I've moved that bit about, because I think it's relevant to this bit.

> >Your own mileage clearly varies, but that's the soul of debate.
>
> To me, it seems to come down to this.  You seem concerned that there can
be
> only One True Version of any given power, and you are afraid that your
> version of Phaser or Bomber or whatever will be at odds at that.  Or that
> you must spend money to keep up with these One True Versions.
>
> You seem to be viewing the packages as "must-haves" in some manner - a
> mandatory part of character creation.  And that since they're spread out
> over...well, probably every BNW book that ever has been or ever will be
> published, it's incredibly expensive to get the "complete"
> character-creation rules.

    You keep on coming back to infinite template types, only limited by your
imagination, etc, etc. Whilst this is all true the point is you can get good
systems for free that allow you to make your own infinite variety
super-heroes/street-avengers/normal people stuck in film-noir. Your paying
for stuff like the templates, so when you don't get very many your not
getting very much for your money.

> Nor is there a convenient (or not so convenient) point system with which
to
> design them.

    Whilst a point system is always useful for constructing
templates/vehicles/gears/whatever you always have to remember that they
don't quite work properly. You always seem to be able to make something
which is interesting, but very weak for the points used, and something
probably quite boring but incredibly hard for the same points. Thus you
always have to alter the cost based on your experience and judgement rather
than blindly following the rules.

> But...the "official" packages are not required.  There is no rule or word
> from Matt or anything else that says that.  I guess I don't understand the
> reasoning behind why you feel you must buy the Defiants SB to have the
> definitive Phaser package.  That's what your arguement seems to be boiling
> down to...

    Who is this Matt person anyway? A game designer on BNW? The only
role-play authors who stick out in my mind are Mark Ryan-dot-Hargan and Gary
Gygx. And that's only because I can't figure out whether Mark's dot is meant
to be a dash or what, and for some reason people think any thing with Gygx's
name one must be the best role-play game ever.

    Malcolm.