From: lore@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Lore Christian Sjoberg)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: Burn, GURPS, BURN!
Date: 23 Jan 1993 20:41:09 GMT
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz
Distribution: scruz
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucscb.ucsc.edu


In <1993Jan23.165703.23903@news.uiowa.edu> durrell@pinball.arcade.uiowa.edu (Bryant Durrell) writes:

>In article <C19yDr.HG2@news.cso.uiuc.edu> dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (RedSwordTarga) writes:
>>durrell@pinball.arcade.uiowa.edu (Bryant Durrell) writes:
>>>Um, I hope nobody's under the impression that Hero stat costs are
>>>balanced just cause they vary by stat.  The same argument -- that
>>>a given stat has differing value depending on the genre -- applies
>>>to Hero as much as it applies to GURPS.

>>Well, they are at least a step in the right direction. For the most part,
>>I've found the point cost for the statistics to be rather well thought out
>>in most of the genre. Did you have a specific problem in some genre?
>>We've already heard plenty of complaints from those who've dumped their
>>points down the STR sink playing modern era GURPS. 

>I suppose.  The argument, though, is that STR is worth more in a fantasy
>genre than it is in a modern genre.  Neither GURPS or Hero reflects this
>making them both equally flawed in this respect.  I guess you're arguing
>that the Hero cost is closer to being balanced for both genres than 
>GURPS is?  I disagree there -- I think GURPS is well-balanced for 
>fantasy, not as well-balanced for modern, very unbalanced for supers,
>while Hero is tuned perfectly for supers but gets weaker the farther
>away from four-color stuff you go.

In my experience, STR costing the same in all genres works very well,
as long as you use the maxima for non-Super campaigns. I haven't played
much SF, but in Star Trek/Star Wars type campaigns, I'd figure that STR
would be handy anyway. Kirk was always beating up on folks.

But that's as maybe. I will take it as given that there are campaigns where
STR is much less useful than in your average Sword and Sorcery. It's not
as big a deal in the Hero system, for the following reasons:

1) STR, and for that matter all the stats except DEX and SPD, are pretty
   cheap. You can afford to buy your character up to 16 STR just for show
   and not have it break your bank.

2) This is because STR is not, in and of itself, all that useful. If I
   remember correctly (It's been a while since I played GURPS), the four
   stats have gobs of ramifications. People have claimed here that having
   a high INT means you a godlike at skills you probably shouldn't even
   have. In Hero, a high INT means you notice things well, you think
   quickly, and if you buy an INT-based skill, you have a pretty decent
   starting level.

So correct me if I'm wrong:

GURPS fantasy, you pay a lot for STR and it gives you all sorts of vital
abilities.

Hero fantasy, you pay a little for STR and a lot for useful STR-based skills.

GURPS SF, you pay a lot for STR and it gives you all sorts of useless
abilities.

Hero SF, you pay a little for STR and don't bother with the skills.

So, yes, if you're playing in a future where everybody floats around
in vats and does things psionically, STR probably costs too much. But
in my un-adjectived opinion, Hero covers more ground better than GURPS.

 
-- 
Lore Christian          +     rec.arts.comics    + "Well, red means       
     Fitzgerald Sj|berg = Rarely Asked Questions = 'caution.' Or 'beef' if
  lore@ucscb.ucsc.edu   + #3 -- "So, who's this  + it's a bullion cube..."
  lore@cats.ucsc.edu    = Superman guy, anyway?" =  --Alastatia, "Toys"   
 

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