Mythic Hero - Fantasy RPG
Johanus:
I'm at a late stage in the development of this game system, which I've called "Mythic Hero". There has been years of play testing done with groups that I've run, and had it reviewed at CalCon some time ago (need to do that again, but with an actual printed copy available). If you like the fantasy genre, then feel free to check this out! (http://mythic-hero.com). I'm hoping to have it ready for a first edition print version within the first quarter of 2012. We shall see...
Mythic Hero is a skills-based system where characters choose a career to begin with. It allows a mixing of skills across several areas (why should that bookworm be able to also use a sword?). There has been extensive research into armour, weapons, and fighting; so I've tried to make this as realistic as possible. And I've made a fairly open magic system. I'm a bit of a stickler for realism and have tried to account for that in my rules, hoping that it isn't too cumbersome for those who don't have me there to help them figure it out. Which is why at this stage of game development I am looking for some feedback.
SaintHax:
It has too much math for my liking, but I think you've stuck with your goal for your target audience. Here's somethings I noticed during a skim.
1. It needs to be edited-- there's some grammar and other errors that makes some parts hard to read.
2. I dislike AElves instead of Elves. As an English speaking person I have no idea what sound that AE letter makes, nor do I know how to type it for online discussion.
3. You have a match section where you take eight skills and convert them to decimal and add them together. If my skill is a 40, it's 40.0 when I convert it to decimal. I'm not sure if you want 4.0 or .40, but that part is unclear.
4. I really dislike "Body Power" as a stat. You have Constitution, which seems more like Endurance, and then Body Power? The concept seems to match your goals, but the name is wonky.
Hope that helps.
Johanus:
Thanks, Saintfax. I'm getting some people to help on the copy editing. Sometimes you look at it so much it just glosses by and you can't see it. I'll think about that Ælfs thing... I am actually just using the original English spelling. We just happen to no longer use that letter. I'll clear up the 40 vs. 0.4 thing to make it more clear. Endurance vs. Constitution... That might work. Thanks!
(alt-146 = Æ).
David Berg:
Hi Johanus,
I've done a fair amount of work myself on a variety of realistic combat systems, and I eventually realized that my different projects had different answers to "Why do realistic combat?" Here are the main reasons I've tried it:
1) Converting realistic inputs to realistic outputs. What happens when two large, adept wrestlers in leather armor with a knives attack a little dude in plate mail holding a glaive?
Playing through what happens in combat in great detail without ever arriving at some moment where the fiction looks stupid -- while at the same time producing outcomes that don't deform the gameworld into some ridiculous place where every smart fighter walks around with two quarterstaves or whatever -- this has, at least in my roleplaying experience, been no small feat!
2) Making earlier character improvement choices matter in a fight. If I spend my build points on a weapon skill, or a fighting style; if I spend my money on a shield, or a coat of plates; if I kill the monster guarding the master-worked gladius, or the master-worked chain shirt; is this acquisition going to show up and make a difference in a fight?
3) Simulating what the experience of combat is like. The knowledge that any hit could be your last, the automatic reactions of honed reflexes, the adrenaline, the chaos, the fighting on for a few key seconds after a body shot that may later prove fatal.
4) Making a fight into a fun tactical game, where players get to make meaningful strategic decisions that affect the outcome.
Some combos of these mesh better than others. And of course there are other reasons to want realistic combat too.
So, what's your reason?
Once I know that, I might be able to offer some useful feedback.
Ps,
-David
Johanus:
Hi David,
As far as realism goes, I wanted something that seems realistic enough, while still being simple enough to play without a computer, that it would be fun and there wouldn't be any worry about the insanity of hit points and ridiculous weapons being chosen. So, yes it is possible to beat a man with a quarterstaff if you have a longsword. Not as likely; but possible. And there are many situations when a staff weapon is impractical. In reality the spear was the standard weapon of the foot soldier and most knights started by using this or a poleaxe of some sort. That's just how fighting is. George Silver, 16th century English sword master stated that the best weapon in a 1-on-1 fight is a quarter staff (and he listed several weapons advantages and disadvantages). I have no problems with this in a game situation. And I did want to emphasize that these weapons aren't always appropriate. It's pretty tough to use a pole arm indoors where a ceiling is only 7 or 8 feet high. I know, I've tried! Darned near impossible, and a guy with a short sword will run you down and make you into hamburger pretty quickly.But I've also defeated a guy who had a spear and I had only a rondel. Really tough! And I only did that one in about 20 bouts we had.
I haven't worried a lot about the nuances of battle, and make the emphasis more on realistic weapons damage and use. Too few players truly understand what it's like to actually fight, and most don't really care about that level or reality. They just want it to seem reasonably realistic and have fun! At least that's my experience.
Yes, choices of armour and weapons matter. This is true in reality, so should be in a game system. I've tried to design that into this.
There are a few things that I haven't quite figured out how to emulate properly in a game system, like the fact that a great sword would eat a katana for breakfast, but a katana and a longsword are pretty much the same, it's only fighting styles that really make the difference (and armour, of course). I'm doing some experimenting on how some weapons are against armour, which might help with this. I've done a lot of testing with real weapons and how they cut against different objects, for example, and am trying to figure out how to put that into game mechanics. How do I show that for a lower skilled fighter a katana will cut better through bare flesh or flesh and cloth only than a European style shortsword will, but for the experienced fighter the shortsword might actually be better? Or at least there is no difference in its cutting power when against unarmoured opponents and it is better against armour?
Hmmm... still a few things to think about.
-Johanus
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[urlhttp://mythic-hero.com[/url]
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