Re: [HoE] assorted [HOPLER]

[The Baron Samedi <baron11@netmcr.com>]

>
>
>Hmmm, well, the last game of HOE I played in, I nearly brainburned my Syker on
>three seperate occasions during the same scene. Remember, one risks Brainburn
>every time one dips into the Strain for Fortitude (or that's how we play it,
>at least). In this particularly intense scene (in which I used no combat
>powers, just Chameleon, Predator, Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Peace of Mind and simple
>mind reading), I ended up blowing 24 Strain!

yep. that is coming very close. :-)
This happened in a crisis situation.  Last night, I witness 4 Backlashes 
from a Huckster just trying to get by. In the final battle, his Hexslingin' 
Dropped permanently as he was trying to fight the baddie.
this illustrates my point beautifully.  when yer a Huckster or a Mad, you 
have to gamble, with every spell, Backlash.,
in this case it was "my God Jason, I actually nearly backlashed once or 
twice in the climax to the last set of sessions!"
this compared to the Mad in my game who nearly died (except for the 
expenditure of over 10 total chips) on a roll he succeeded on because he 
drew a Joker.  Or the Huckster who's spells failed for the day when the 
zombie was coming at her.Outside of not using his powers, what could he 
do?  Or the Huckster who had not previsly cast any spells that day.  the 
chance is greatly lowered.
and I did not say the no Brainburn first I just agreed.

>In fact, if I hadn't had chips, I would have surely brainburned myself at
>least once.
ok granted.


what, no remark on my gonna get Lifetap joke?


> > Don't forget Fortitude.  Makes CoA seem like nothing. and Steel trap mind
> > or whatever gives more strain (in addition to Fortitude).  I have seen two
> > Sykers, one in each game. both have, effectively, 34 Strain and no chance
> > of going Bust on their roll.
>
>You might want to look at Fortitude again. The description is ambiguous, but
>the way we're playing it, "going negative" means dipping into the Fortitude
>strain that goes beyond your base level of Strain. That makes the chance of
>Brainburn very, very real. In the case of your basic "d12 Vigor, 5 Steel Trap
>Mind" character, that means once they go past 17, they're risking Brainburn.
>Remember it's only a one-point Edge -- it can't be that cool.
right. but others do not really have the option of "going negative" hence 
the word effectively.




>There are a couple things to remember here, kids. In my opinion, ABs aren't
>*supposed* (IMHO) to be as rare in the Wasted West. Remember, there is MUCH
>more supernatural energy out there, now that the GR bombs have dropped and the
>Reckoners are engaged in their World Tour. That same supernatural energy that
>gives us all those zombies y'all love should also benefit the PCs as well.

I agree Loki.

But the original poster was saying what about the norms...do you agree or 
disagree its harder to play a norm PC in HoE then DL.
I understand and accept your comment about a challenge.  But sometimes you 
don't want to not be supernatural just for the challenge of it.


>Also, one doesn't have to run a game where ABs are needed. Sometimes nuking a
>group of people before talking to them is a bad idea. Sometimes people relate
>better to someone who isn't supernatural. The PCs can go against road gangs
>rather than say, sea monsters. One can play a Syker that isn't a walking death
>machine. (It's tougher to play a Doomie who isn't a walking death machine,
>but...) If most of the PCs are mundanes or near-mundanes (Templars), the game
>can reflect that...
>
OK this I will grant you, Loki.  Still, Sykers, more then Doomies, can 
break a game, just outside combat.  In the (weird west) game I was in last 
night, had we had a Syker who could read minds the game would be over in 
the first hour, not have the game run 6.


(commentary here explained earlier)


>And considering you're playing a Harrowed Doomsayer, which is like having TWO
>Arcane backgrounds, and were talking about trying to learn to be a Witch from
>Grimly until the GM disallowed it, you hardly have room to talk... All those
>chips you *didn't* spend while I was burning all that Strain went into
>Harrowed powers, IIRC...



Yep good ol weird west non radioactive Harrowed powers! ;-)
seriously
(actually I knew full well I can't become a witch)
anyway, yes I do have that in that game.  I know how to deal ;-)
and I'm certainly not the most powerful in the party...I just talk like it.

Da Baron