July 11, 2007
Morning Rant #2
It's my second morning fireside chat. I'm two for two!
1. I really like Legend of the Five Rings, which will hereafter be called L5R. It's a point-based system, which I like more than level-based systems. It's very hard to make a social character in most level-based systems. Sure, you can usually make a kinda social character, but in level-based systems the emphasis is on combat ability. In L5R, not only can you make a social character, you can have your social character get better at social activities! That's because L5R is a hybrid point/level system. It's point-based at its core, but once you've gained enough points, you get new abilities based on what school your character attends, which tends to be split by clan into fighter, social, mage, and miscellaneous. That's the thing right there. My character can get mechanical benefits for being social-oriented. Usually, being of a social bent means I add more numbers to my social roll and that's it. Fighters get neat abilities or the ability to cleave people in half with their raw number of dice. Social characters? Not even GMs will let most social character influence NPCs terribly.
Another thing, in D&D and most other systems, it's frowned upon for the social character to use their diplomacy system to make it so that PCs will like the social PC more, but the fighter can use Cleave, High Jump, The Empire Rests on Its Edge, or whatever it has to attack the social PC should the fighter decide to do so. All in the name of balance. Bow down before the concept of balance!
Point number 2 (and it's a short one): YMCA is the most irritating song to have running through your head as you wake up.
#3 (and the last one for the day): Saints Row is much better than your GTAs. The GTAs that I've had the misfortune of playing take themselves way too seriously. Saints Row is a much more accessible parody of the gang warfare type games. The humor is great, the customization is fun, and the missions are memorable. It has it's problems, like annoying AI and very linear missions (nothing a rocket launcher can't solve for the most part), but I can overlook those because the rest of the game is so much fun.
Tomorrow (or maybe later today): D&D's bard.
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1. I really like Legend of the Five Rings, which will hereafter be called L5R. It's a point-based system, which I like more than level-based systems. It's very hard to make a social character in most level-based systems. Sure, you can usually make a kinda social character, but in level-based systems the emphasis is on combat ability. In L5R, not only can you make a social character, you can have your social character get better at social activities! That's because L5R is a hybrid point/level system. It's point-based at its core, but once you've gained enough points, you get new abilities based on what school your character attends, which tends to be split by clan into fighter, social, mage, and miscellaneous. That's the thing right there. My character can get mechanical benefits for being social-oriented. Usually, being of a social bent means I add more numbers to my social roll and that's it. Fighters get neat abilities or the ability to cleave people in half with their raw number of dice. Social characters? Not even GMs will let most social character influence NPCs terribly.
Another thing, in D&D and most other systems, it's frowned upon for the social character to use their diplomacy system to make it so that PCs will like the social PC more, but the fighter can use Cleave, High Jump, The Empire Rests on Its Edge, or whatever it has to attack the social PC should the fighter decide to do so. All in the name of balance. Bow down before the concept of balance!
Point number 2 (and it's a short one): YMCA is the most irritating song to have running through your head as you wake up.
#3 (and the last one for the day): Saints Row is much better than your GTAs. The GTAs that I've had the misfortune of playing take themselves way too seriously. Saints Row is a much more accessible parody of the gang warfare type games. The humor is great, the customization is fun, and the missions are memorable. It has it's problems, like annoying AI and very linear missions (nothing a rocket launcher can't solve for the most part), but I can overlook those because the rest of the game is so much fun.
Tomorrow (or maybe later today): D&D's bard.
Posted by: Cyndane at
11:15 AM
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