[DL] Re:edges

[Doplegnger@aol.com]

so the official word is:

you get aptitude points (1 point gives you one more level in a skill, no 
restrictions) equal to knowledge+smarts+cognition (pg. 38)

you get hinderance points equal to your hinderances (max 10) that can either 
be used as aptitude points or to buy edges (pg. 49)

and VOTWW will give you 15 BOUNTY points that can buy anything, but at the in 
game cost (so edges are 3 times as much, and aptitudes cost the level you 
raise them to, doubled for over 5), correct?

also, on the topic of too many arcane backgrounds, here's what I've concluded:

I only let them have one character with an arcane background, so if their 
main char has one, then their backup character (for when their main dies) 
can't.   also, the penalties of the arcane backgrounds have to be rigorously 
enforced:

make sure that mad scientist is buying up some sciendce aptitudes, paying for 
what he builds, and is ABSOLUTELY not forgetting his reliability checks

make sure that huckster is always afraid to do hexes in crowds (throw some 
city adventures at them, in a cave it's far too easy for them because there 
is nobody to hide it from), and just wait for the jokers

blessed? remember the sinnin' chart (BOTH PARTS OF IT, nudge nudge marshall) 
and apply them (well, he may have been beating on your friend there, but 
blowing his head off wasn't really self defense since he never touched you 
now was it?)

shamans have the whole injun problem going for them, other then that the 
sheer time it takes to raise appeasement is their downfall, ask them to do 
something today and they're in trouble.

martial artists have a problem of multiple fights, as they run out of chi 
ammo very quickly, send some mooks after them, then send more.

I haven't worked with the others so I won't comment on them.   I think the 
biggest downfall s the cost though, you get 10 points of edges (maybe more 
witth VOTWW, but they are at bounty cost), an arcane background is just shy  
of a third of that, and most of them cost some of your skil points in 
strategically placed areas as well (fiath, science, hexsligin, etc)

you just have to make sure that if they're having fun with the advantages, 
you're having at least as much fun with the disadvantages.

the other thing that crops up, most of the disadvantages are left to the 
players to enforce that they don't want to hang artound with people like 
that, which takes some of the load off your shoulders.   hexes backlash often 
hit their friends, mad scientist explosions don't just kill mad scientists, 
the blessed's vow of not killing except in self defense is often annoying to 
hear about when you're getting gunned down by bank robbers, and so on.

Doppelganger: who hopes to one day one a FLGS, and put the Friendly back in 
Friendly local game store