Mythic Hero - Fantasy RPG
contracycle:
Well, one technique you could use is to give weapons a modifier, and then apply a modifier for skill, and take whichever is higher. That allows the benefit to switch as skill improves, although I don;t actually see where your resolution system appears so I don't know if that fits.
Unfortunately I loathe the nonsense that constitutes much of the recent WMA "movement", and I think it's arguments should be taken with a bag, not a grain, of salt, so I'm not much sympathetic to the specifics you mention.
David Berg:
Hi Johanus,
I'm still not clear on what you hope to get out of realistic combat in terms of play enjoyment. That you also want it to be relatively quick and simple doesn't really help me.
I don't see anything about rewards/advancement, tactics, and character of experience in your account. So I'll guess for now that you're going for my #1 above: a satisfyingly plausible resolution of what would happen in various situations, based on your knowledge of real combat.
I've been a part of two very different approaches to that aim:
Approach A:
Quantify the most important variables and establish the most important relationships. These weapons are fast, these weapons are long, these situations give advantage to small weapons, etc. There are a million systems attempting this, and they distinguish themselves from each other by their choice of what's important to focus on.
My game Delve focuses very much on trying to control positioning, facing, and movement. I think it's important, fun, and hasn't been emphasized in too many other games. I think players will ultimately judge it similarly. "Does circling or advancing really matter all that much? Is it fun? Am I already tired of it from playing other games?"
Approach B:
Players (including GMs) don't need rules to tell them what is realistic. They already know what seems realistic to them, and they are the ones playing, right? So what your game needs to do is give the group a fun and efficient process for communicating what everyone thinks is realistic in each case. No look-up tables, no weapon-vs-armor types, no distance modifiers. Just a way to say, "Stabbing a guy in chainmail with a dagger? Seems to me like that should be a one in a hundred chance." "I was gonna say one in a thousand, but a hundred's fine. Let's roll those d10s!"
This approach would mean that you would not be able to publish a book that'd wow people with your combat insights. On the other hand, when you run the game for your buddies, you would be able to get your insights into play as quickly and directly as possible.
What do you think?
Ps,
-David
Johanus:
Thanks for your feedback, David. I think approach "A" is what I've already started and just need to flesh out a few details.
Contracycle, I've thought about modifiers and aren't sure that they'll work. But I will give it some more thought. I think it might be useful in certain situations.
As for your comment on WMA, perhaps you've only dealt with people who have no idea what they're talking about or are too high on themselves. There are a lot of great groups and excellent practitioners out there, many who have high level achievements in the Eastern arts as well, yet still believe that WMA has its definite advantages. I have been teaching for years and have several students, friends, and colleagues with blackbelts in Eastern styles who openly tell me their opinions of the different arts, good and bad. It gives me a wide perspective that I can appreciate.
David Berg:
If you're going for a system that models combat realism in a new and interesting way, my suggestion would be to communicate what that new and interesting way is to prospective players. Depending on how much of the appeal of your game is based on combat, you might even want to have this in a highly prominent spot, like on the back cover.
In my experience, roleplayers looking for realistic combat have already found many games that promise them that, and will want to know how yours goes about it, with at least some specificity, before getting excited about playing.
I guess that's mostly marketing advice, not design feedback. But the same considerations might apply to your instructional text. I dunno. If you want to share the specifics of your combat system and get feedback on that, I'm game!
Johanus:
hi David,
You're welcome to download the system (http://mythic-hero.com). I know that I still have a lot of work before I put it into official publication. I am quite interested in feedback!
Thanks,
Johanus
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