Old news to some, I'm sure
Aug. 4th, 2004 04:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kingandyOoh, tantalising. White Wolf know what they're doing, leaking fragments of information that the fans can overanalyse and conjecture over. So, obliging then.
I can see what they're doing, turning the statistics into a legitimate 3x3 matrix plotting power, finesse and resistance against mind, body andsoul social. It always used to almost fit into that pattern, anyway, and it's a model that works. (Though Willpower should be accordingly less expensive now, if it's not being used as your social stamina.) The other interesting change is the removal of the "Appearance" attribute. It was always kind of an anomoly; being technically "physical" it was a bit of a grey area where some effects were concerned, and anyway different people find different things attractive. I guess now some GMs will have to put a bit more effort into NPCs' personal tastes and such - with some it may be "High Composure", others may go for "Extreme Strength" or just "Bleached Blond Hair". Players who want to be beautiful, too, will have to describe it in specific terms ("high cheekbones, ruby lips and long, blond hair" etc). It's kind of a shame, though, I always enjoyed dumping all my points into Appearance and being otherwise vapid, dim and physically useless... on the other hand, yay, now I can play characters who are non unattractive while remaining effectual.
I don't see why initiative mod would be Dex and Composure though - I'd keep it as Dex + Wits.
Mental skills are harder to use unskilled than physical or social ones (another interesting redistribution from Skills/Talents/Knowledges)? I would have marked them harder generally, give them a higher difficulty or lower returns or something. As it is all it takes is one dot and you've offset the initial difficulty. Though, on second though, maybe that's the point - anyone can throw a punch, but if you've not been given a basic grounding in Medicine you don't have much hope of performing an operation. As in general knowledge quizzes it's easy if you know it, nigh-impossible if you don't.
Also available on the White Wolf site is a preview for Aberrant D20. Um. hum. I'm not sure how well that will convert to a class-based system - most of the appeal is the modularity of the powers (And why does the Adventure! character sheet have a Race box? Given the majority of characters are firmly human - I suppose you may have the odd dinosaur man or what have you, but seriously). I think I will stick with my Storyteller version for now thank you. Still, it does have a good picture of that reknowned Magus, Divis Mal, on the page for what I can only assume is a Prestige class, being but five levels.
Well, we'll see. Back to work, I suppose.
I can see what they're doing, turning the statistics into a legitimate 3x3 matrix plotting power, finesse and resistance against mind, body and
I don't see why initiative mod would be Dex and Composure though - I'd keep it as Dex + Wits.
Mental skills are harder to use unskilled than physical or social ones (another interesting redistribution from Skills/Talents/Knowledges)? I would have marked them harder generally, give them a higher difficulty or lower returns or something. As it is all it takes is one dot and you've offset the initial difficulty. Though, on second though, maybe that's the point - anyone can throw a punch, but if you've not been given a basic grounding in Medicine you don't have much hope of performing an operation. As in general knowledge quizzes it's easy if you know it, nigh-impossible if you don't.
Also available on the White Wolf site is a preview for Aberrant D20. Um. hum. I'm not sure how well that will convert to a class-based system - most of the appeal is the modularity of the powers (And why does the Adventure! character sheet have a Race box? Given the majority of characters are firmly human - I suppose you may have the odd dinosaur man or what have you, but seriously). I think I will stick with my Storyteller version for now thank you. Still, it does have a good picture of that reknowned Magus, Divis Mal, on the page for what I can only assume is a Prestige class, being but five levels.
Well, we'll see. Back to work, I suppose.
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Date: 2004-08-05 10:04 am (UTC)Although wasn't most Presence stuff a Social Stat + Social Ability roll? I guess Goth Posing is an ability though :)
Once, when in a geek book shop in manchester, i listened to some hard core vampire players (rock goths, celtic tats and leather coats) talking about their game.
It involved storming Elysium with two k-47's each. absailing down into teh princes chamber and doing matrix stuff to each other.
I wondered why they weren't playing a super heroes game.
Another was pleased that the then new Guide to the Camarilla actually told you how much xp you needed to spend to buy high level disciplines. I told him that the core book did, although it just said 'current level x 5/6/7'. He didn't believe me.
I'm not sure what these stories illustrate, other than the system was ok, but attracted wankers...
Maybe that's why i own so much WW...