In reply to Seeker of Truth (msg #138):

Sorry I didn't know the powderpuff girl was due to hero point usage, but that makes since and is good to know. It's good to have that mystery in the game.

I have a few thoughts:

Firstly, I think that Xuan and Kirby both have powers that more lend themselves to this new mechanic, more so Kirby than Xuan (but still); they seem distinctly designed to affect weapons.  So perhaps it should be a case by case basis, and associated with a cost.

Cost is my next thought.  I don't know about the rest who are using powers with weapons, or also powers with other powers (manipulation), but for me it is breaking the Power Point bank.  I won't be able to keep this up for long at the rate I'm spending, and having to get creative from exhausting them seems a feasible scenario.  You add to that the fact that you don't just get refreshed on PP's when the fight is over; now we have some serious choices to make.  You guys have already had a fight or two before I came on the scene, and if I read correctly you guys didn't exactly "refill" before being jammed into another spending spree.  So in a case like this where the action keeps going, or moreover not really knowing if it will keep coming at you, then it behooves each individual to be selective about their expenditures.  And really, you could consider just upping the cost of PP in order to charge your weapon with it, draining the bank even faster if you want to go all mojo chicken foot on someone's ass.

Now, power points aside, let's talk a little about damage.  Here I will refer (like most of us have) to Xuan's fantastic point about fighters vs. scholars.  And as Max agreed, timing could be everything for this kind of discussion.  Perhaps there's a balance to strike so the warriors get to shine where they're supposed to but it can cost like I mentioned before.  So perhaps it's possible to add the power damage to the weapon damage, but it's not as strong as the power alone (possibly even just breaking even with just using the power), but as stated by most of you: getting the benefits of the extension.  Now add to that the obsequious cost of Power Points in order to have that luxury, and thusly lends itself to still having that martial arts example that Seeker used.

Guy keeps fighting them off using every snot ball and crisco rub he has, then for a dramatic finale pumps it through his weapon to add damage.  The difference in this case would be that instead of a huge burst of energy hitting people in 360 directions, it's one shot at a time and you're a little fucked if you miss: you spend the Power Points whether you make contact or not- no refunds, returns or exchanges.  Now comes the Heroic Points into play: you don't want to blow those PP's for no reason, so I may just have to spend both in order to have not broke the bank for an empty vault.  The one shot at a time rather than 100 foes surrounding you in a circle could certainly be a reflection of our low level, and as the power levels increase so to do our abilities to commit mayhem.

I'm not gonna lie, it is truly the game system for Hit Points we are using that makes me want to squeeze every drop of damage out of my attack like a bar rag, so's I run less risk of getting my knee disintegrated again.  That being said, I do like a good challenge and would be willing to back things down to keep the game flow going and the sense of balance complete.

My offerings:
1.  Up the Power Point cost for power charging a weapon.
  a.  For instance if it normally takes 2 PP to activate your power, then weapon charging costs extra, like 3 or 4.
2.  PP spent for the attack are gone regardless of success.
3.  Damage is increased, but not Weapon + Power high.  Maybe an extra D per level utilized agreed upon by the group.  Again: extra levels means costlier PP.

And to finish, I don't know that I would apply these kinds of restrictions to Kirby, who specifically picked a power that is designed to "weapon charge".  That's his whole gig, and it's already been very costly for him to get the damage bonus he gets.  So he would be the exception I could think of that would be exempt from being additionally billed more power points for this kind of attack.  This way, he keeps doing what he does does, without incurring the extra cost cost, and nobody really has to change their characters at all.  And we still get to hang on to our hero points which we might end up using any-damn-way to not have wasted anything.

Fin.

I second Aeviternus. With the exception that power charging through a weapon, where sensible mind you, can cost the same as a power.

Happy Easter everyone.

An aside, there is an element of the game that hinges on Easter an its origins. Well get there some day.

In reply to Seeker of Truth (msg #142):

Ahhhhh the spiritual egg, indeed.

May Queen Esther bless you Easter!

In reply to Max Jackson (msg #143):

Happy Chocolate Bunny Day peeps.

I am glad that I brought this to the table. Great suggestions, what I will do is adjust cost to the Manipulation skill and we will keep everything the same.

There are a few rules that I will be bringing up during the game as they come up.
First- it will cost a CA to pull out a weapon no matter how cool you can flourish it. Starting next round.

I need to point this out, Heroic Abilities are a good thing, and major point of increases for your character in the game. I will be giving out heroic points for everyone to use.  They a good way to use your points.

In reply to Seeker of Truth (msg #145):

So it will cost a CA to pull out my weapon (even though it materialises there), but will it delay me to the next CA by doing so?

By the way, I'm good with your call.

In reply to Xuan Tien John Wu (msg #146):

This is not so much in reply to as a follow up or piggy-back:

It doesn't seem to flow with the way battle is set up to cost a CA to pull out a weapon unless it's buried, hard to get to, or one is otherwise under duress (for instance someone has you pinned to a wall and though your hands are free it's much harder to pull off a quickdraw).

If that's the case, then we basically have one of two options when it's our turn:
1.  For an entire round of battle our contribution is "Xuan's weapon materializes in his hand"
or
2.  Xuan is going to make for some awkward social interactions because it behooves him to just walk around with it in his hand all the time so it doesn't cost a very valuable CA in case SH*T goes down.

Perhaps it can cost a CA for situations where it would be challenging.  But my humble opinion is that it doesn't take a soldier with Kirby's military training or a martial artist with Xuan's ancient chinese secret training more than half a second to get their weapon brandished.

And again, humbly: being able to flourish said brandishing with a coolness should not be discounted.  To use my last weapon-drawing as an example: the idea was that he was already starting his swing when the weapon met him halfway.  In that situation there was literally no seconds spent sending his hand to the weapon's location.  This is the same with Xuan, and with Kirby: a soldier's training plus tactical placement of sidearms leads to pretty similar speed.

But perhaps in a slightly tougher situation like picking the weapon up off the ground from under debris... costly.

Well, for me, I want to stay with the rules as much as I can for stabilities sake, the more rules we break the harder it is for me to run this game.

rounds are 6 seconds long, and if you have 4 combat actions you are doing an action in about 1.3 seconds.

Pulling a weapon out will cost a CA, but you still will get to make an action the round you pull it out.  So that particular round you will use 2CA. It won't affect flow.

And Xuan, has a power dedicated to that pig sticker of his. I would have to to say that his power, being a power, for that weapon, would give him the benefit of quick draw, costing no extra CA.

CAs are not necissarily time spent, but different actions that you take.

Pulling a weapon out, then aiming it.  Those are two different actions.

I am fine with that.

Okee-dokee.

Just want to be clear that I understand.

Kirby enters the room and draws his weapon on his strike rank - one CA
Others do stuff on their strike ranks, spend CAs
On Kirby's next strike rank he can fire, using his second CA.

I think that's the way it should work. Unless you have a special ability I don't think you should be able to draw and fire, even if it costs 2 CAs, in the same "action".

This particular item is still pending review...

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a good Easter!

So I have some work that I need to do for the game, I need to get the new Manipulation sorted out and copied on to the website here.  I want to get this done before we start again.

I also need to do a little checking rule wise about a few articles of info:
-drawing weapon
-Power cost to increase Magnitude with Manipulation
-semi/fully auto weapon rules

Then I will get back to everyone with the posts.  So, I will need this week to get some research done.  I hope to have everything ready by this Friday.

In reply to Seeker of Truth (msg #153):

Ok Seeker.

I agree with Kirby, don't know if you guys have read up on the weapon stuff, but by far the most damage dealt in this game.  I want, and hope you do too, a strike rank to put up a shield or jump behind a brick wall before some dude with a machine gun starts firing.

Seeker have you checked the BRP yet for auto gun fire.  It reads to me rather brutally.

I get everyone's cool weapon stuff, but, we could have been toast if it weren't for the bomb and Aeviternus taking out those military dudes and I am assuming their guns were already out.  For me, my character is defensive for the most part, and I would like a CA to draw, then they fire the next strike rank/round.

It would benefit my character, that might not be the case for everyone, but if Kirby the gun guy is cool with it, I am too.

Orlando sold me.  I'm good with the weapon draw costing a CA unless there's a power that specifically does that free of charge.

Don't judge me if Aeviternus starts seeming a little jumpy, always reaching for his pack when a plastic bag floats across his path.  :)

As Orlando points out this game is brutal. We have a low number of hit points on each location and if someone get's the drop on us we could be toast.

Offensively it would be great to draw and fire in one smooth motion. Draw-bang-dead. Trust me, as a gun wielding character that would just be fantastic. However, it's a two way street.

If Kirby could draw-fire in one action then the bad guys could too. With that rule some of us would be dead, really soon. If you see someone draw on you arn't you going to do something, anything, before they can fire?

I just don't think that anyone who hasn't actually practiced the technique - or has some power that allows for it - should be able to draw-fire-bang.


Ok Star Wars fans...

So there's Greedo pointing a blaster at Han in a quiet, out of the way, cantina. Han draws his own blaster slowly under the table - one CA - and keeps Greedo talking. Greedo has the advantage but Han has evened the playing field with his first CA. Greedo delays, yapping about debts and waiting a long time for "this".

Second CA Han fires. Dead Greedo. But Han still had to draw first. Had Greedo shot first, and trust me Greedo DID NOT SHOOT FIRST, Han wouldn't have been around to fly Luke out of there and the Empire would still rule with an iron first. See how important the rule is?
This message was last edited by the player at 16:05, Wed 11 Apr 2012.

In reply to Edmund Kirby Smith IV (msg #157):

As an old school SWRP Player, Han's Smuggler Class had a specific quick draw ability (Skill). Hence the dead Greedo even with the gun draw, in gaming terms. Don't forget Han used his distraction skill by fiddling his finger on the wall. I might add a majorly used skill in the SW Universe...LOL!

A agree that draw-bang-dead shouldn't be everyday happening, at least in one CA. This ability/skill/power what ever it's call (Fire from hell that destroys the Universe) should be training intensive and considered a major power in our power based game. Just so everyone walking around can't do a draw-bang-dead action.

Question about energy expulsion powers. Like shooting a fire ball out your finger. Is this considered one CA? Does one just point his finger and shoot the fire ball or is that considered 2 CA like drawing and shooting a gun? I know this may seem anal but this may seem unfair to the shoot'em up dudes...

Then what about mind blasts and powers like that. Is that just one CA to use...think-brian fry-dead...?

Thanks for the clarifications.

Just to be clear, I don't think whether or not draw-fire costs 2 CAs is up for debate, just whether or not they could be used essentially at the same time; burning 2 CAs at once. I maintain that you should not be able to burn two together in this way.

However, drawing 2 weapons with separate hands might work, I think. But I digress.

Your question was about energy expulsion and mind blast. I can see it both ways but tend to lean toward them being different than "drawing a weapon." With phsycic blast you're not drawing anything. In fact you're moving at the speed of thought. Why should that cost 2 CAs? 1 to think about doing it and another to actually do it seems lame to me.

Also, if you can shoot lasers out of your eyes what's there to draw? Aren’t your eyes already drawn? (I apologize for the inadvertent comic book "draw" pun)

In both of these examples the mind and the eyes are already readied. A gun in a holster is not.

Energy expulsion is a lot like sneezing. All of us can do it and it doesn’t take much time. If you’re in range, watch out!
This message was last edited by the player at 21:49, Wed 11 Apr 2012.

In reply to Edmund Kirby Smith IV (msg #159):

Kirb I agree globally with your statements, I just wanted to throw these thoughts out on the preverbal gaming table.

I don't think drawing a weapon should ever cost 2 CA, hmmmm unless you got the Death Star in your holster. I just wanted to clarify that the whole draw-bang-dead thingy was going to be a power/skill based opportunity, not given to any gun totting schmuck.

In reply to Max Jackson (msg #160):

Draw = 1 CA
Fire weapon = 1 CA

Cannot be used on same strike rank turn. i.e: you gotta draw, let others act in turn, then fire.

In reply to Edmund Kirby Smith IV (msg #161):

Kirb thanks for the clarification.

I think John said something about walking around with 'the' weapon out all the time to subjugate the drawing issue.  Which might be out of place, but I'm not sure?

Seeker,  is everyone in this world running around with a weapon? Everyone Max has seen so far has had one...LOL!

I think I am mostly in agreement with all of that.

For the record, it was Aevi mentioning having to carry a weapon in hand all the time. I think you'll find that I already do/did. And if you paid really close attention, you'll have noticed that it's never far from me even when it's not in hand. Is it illusion? Is it a power? You don't know!
Don't think I haven't thought about how handy it would have been to have the Highlander (the series) ability to hide it up in some extra-dimensional space sewn into the back of every shirt in the dresser. I think Aevi has that.