Re: [HoE] Hucksters & Time Travel

[Steve Crow <crow_steve@hotmail.com>]

>Since judgement day, the manitou have got a whole lot more
>powerful and cunning.
>
>   Hucksters have to fight harder to get the effects they
>want - so the minimum hand increases for there hexes.
>
>   Smarter manitou mean more chance the huckster picks one
>that can trick him and hurt him - the chance of suffering
>backlash doubles, hitting him on both jokers.
>
>   Finally, stronger manitou mean more painful backlash -
>small effects are less likely, while full-blown possession
>becomes a distinct possibility - in DL, that was a 1 in 20
>chance.  In HoE, it's a whopping 1 in 5 chance for some fun
>for the manitou.
>

Wasn't disputing the "logic" of the changes.  However, also, "logically" 
once you've harnessed the manitou, should the final result be more powerful 
(i.e., you get a more powerful effect than you would have)?  In a 
Ace-minimum Hex, getting a Pair when it comes to drawing the power from a 
"weak" Deadlands Manitou gives you exactly the same effect as a Pair when it 
comes to drawing the power from a "strong" HoE Manitou.

Eliminating the least powerful effect (i.e., kicking up the minimum by one) 
doesn't make a Hex more powerful, it just...means you get even less benefit 
from a Hex than you normally would.  I don't see how this can be construed 
as a "more powerful" Hex.

And again, no matter how "logical" the handicaps of being a Huckster in HoE 
may be, the end result is an unviable Huckster.  If Hucksters are a popular 
class (as several have contended, and I would agree), essentially saying, 
"If you play one, you might as well start creating a new non-Huckster now" 
makes very little sense.

(Unless a class is popular because it is unbalanced power-wise.  Given that 
Pinnacle is changing the Hucksters because they are _less_ powerful, that 
doesn't seem to be the case.)

If you want to play a "Doomed" character, there are easier ways to do it 
without having to go through the (relatively more complicated) design of a 
Huckster.

If you want to ban Hucksters, than ban Hucksters.  Introducing three 
paragraphs or so of rules that makes them unviable is just a waste of column 
space in Junkman Cometh.

If "game universe" logic dictates that a popular balanced character class 
should be gutted to the point of unplayability (except for "doomed" 
characters), and wastes text we're paying money for explaining how it should 
be gutted, then (to borrow a phrase) "logic is an idiot."  ;)

Hopefully, in the future Pinnacle won't waste space doing this with Blessed, 
Shaman, etc.  If they ain't viable in the HoE universe, _say_ that and don't 
waste our time and money on column space providing rules to make them 
unplayable.

And finally (at least for this go round)...granted that game/design balance 
is always a bit flaky anyway.  But is the new Arcane Background Huckster, as 
found in the Junkman Cometh, _really_ worth three points?  Let's see, the 
old Deadland version cost 3 points, and had all of the advantages and none 
of the disadvantages of the HoE AB.  *scratches head* Maybe I'm missing 
something, but making players have to pay the same amount for their HoE 
Hucksters as their old Deadlands ones is rather adding insult to injury.

---

Steve Crow

"Worm Can Opener Extraordinare"

Check out my website at:  http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/4991/


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