Re: [HoE] AB Cost!

[Sam & Max <samnmax1@earthlink.net>]

Øyvind Hillestad wrote:

> Hiya!
>
> I know this topic has been up before, but ill give my opinion.
>
> Okay, lets say 2 players are makeing characters, on wants to be a
> trucker, the other a syker ( or some other AB)
>
> Okay  the trucker has to pay 15 points just for the tractor and trailer,
> then he has no other edges, and starts low on skills.
>
> The Syker pays measly 3 points for his edge, witch gives him alot of
> powers for nothing, he can gain new powers for almost nothing, and he
> starts with good skills, while the trucker has to build up his skills
> aswell as use all his ingame money on his truck
>
> I Wouldnt call this fair, but then again, the trucker COULD take an AB
> aswell, alltho i wouldnt allow that in my game, i hate
> trucker-syker-ravenite-sniper like characters.
>
> So sort of my opinion here is to raise the AB cost by much, maybe up to
> 10 or even 15

Well I have to respond here.
I have noticed this as well.
The HOE (and new Deadlands Version 2) ab are such an incredible increase
over the old
set its a joke to even consider them fair to "norms"
For example. Old Way.  Huckster spent 3 pts for Arcane Background then
probably spent
around 10-15 for starting Hexes. Some at 5 some at 4 etc.  Anynew ones had
to be bought at 1 and raised.
This always seemed pretty balanced and worked well.

Now.
Syker buys AB for 3. Blasting for 5. Total 8 points.  Also gets 5 powers at
level 5 instantly!?
Poof.   The Syker is equivilent to a Huckster who would have to spend 28
pts right off the bat!
Plus the Syker so much as learns a new power and Poof! he suddenly is an
expert at it. Even if the one
teaching it only had it at 1! The sudden knowledge of the power at full
level makes little sense although
I am sure there are plenty of ways to rationalize it. Feel free.

Now I know that Hucksters are from DL and these are all from HOE but dont
forget that this has all been changed
for DL as well. The sudden increase in a characters starting power of 3 to
4 times as much is a MAJOR alteration
of the games balance. That is to say, now there isnt any.
((Not to mention the new rules multipling Explosion Damage by around 3 to 4
as well)
None.  There is little to no reason play a normal (non-AB) in HOE. Period.
Now there are Roleplay reasons,
and those are good ones but  roleplaying should not be punished in this
way. Not to mention the fact that Doomies
and Sykers will almost never!! see the backlash or mutations brought on by
a bust. Considering any starting Character with these
AB will have them at 5. Heck why not. You have the points. So there isnt
any real danger like a Hucksters manitou that would balance the
powers out.
The powers themselves are pretty steep in there power range but thats
alright considering its a powerful game world.
Its the inbalance that is truely criminal to anyone not wanting to play one
of these ABs.

In my game Sykers and Doomies buy each power seperately and raise them
seperately like the old system. To offset the
steep punishment of a Doomies bust, which occures more often now, when they
bust they draw a card. If its the Black Joker then they get mutated.
Sykers just use the Brainburn table.

Oh and one thing for anyone that wants to answer this. With the (yet again)
altered explosion rules, would
anyone like to figure out the new danger to using Nuke. I can do the math
but it seems that this power in particular
suddenly becomes more dangerous than its usually perfectly safe version.
(Sarcasm) :) Nit that I mind the danger of the power
Nuke, it just got a LOT more dangerous.