This is a site for discussing roleplaying games. Have fun doing so, but there is one major rule: do not discuss political issues that aren't directly and uniquely related to the subject of the thread and about gaming. While this site is dedicated to free speech, the following will not be tolerated: devolving a thread into unrelated political discussion, sockpuppeting (using multiple and/or bogus accounts), disrupting topics without contributing to them, and posting images that could get someone fired in the workplace (an external link is OK, but clearly mark it as Not Safe For Work, or NSFW). If you receive a warning, please take it seriously and either move on to another topic or steer the discussion back to its original RPG-related theme.

Author Topic: Multiple foes  (Read 4345 times)

RPGPundit

  • Administrator - The Final Boss of Internet Shitlords
  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 48855
    • http://therpgpundit.blogspot.com
Multiple foes
« Reply #30 on: December 10, 2006, 10:32:52 AM »
Quote from: Otha
So the better you are at convincing the GM you're right, the more your character will succeed.


You say this like its a bad thing.  I think its brilliant.

RPGPundit
LION & DRAGON: Medieval-Authentic OSR Roleplaying is available now! You only THINK you've played 'medieval fantasy' until you play L&D.


My Blog:  http://therpgpundit.blogspot.com/
The most famous uruguayan gaming blog on the planet!

NEW!
Check out my short OSR supplements series; The RPGPundit Presents!


Dark Albion: The Rose War! The OSR fantasy setting of the history that inspired Shakespeare and Martin alike.
Also available in Variant Cover form!
Also, now with the CULTS OF CHAOS cult-generation sourcebook

ARROWS OF INDRA
Arrows of Indra: The Old-School Epic Indian RPG!
NOW AVAILABLE: AoI in print form

LORDS OF OLYMPUS
The new Diceless RPG of multiversal power, adventure and intrigue, now available.

Otha

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • O
  • Posts: 365
Multiple foes
« Reply #31 on: December 10, 2006, 06:03:30 PM »
Quote from: RPGPundit
You say this like its a bad thing.  I think its brilliant.


And I think it's not.  My modifications to the Amber system are based around removing that element.
 

RPGPundit

  • Administrator - The Final Boss of Internet Shitlords
  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 48855
    • http://therpgpundit.blogspot.com
Multiple foes
« Reply #32 on: December 10, 2006, 09:16:42 PM »
Quote from: Otha
And I think it's not.  My modifications to the Amber system are based around removing that element.


How unfortunate for you.

RPGPundit
LION & DRAGON: Medieval-Authentic OSR Roleplaying is available now! You only THINK you've played 'medieval fantasy' until you play L&D.


My Blog:  http://therpgpundit.blogspot.com/
The most famous uruguayan gaming blog on the planet!

NEW!
Check out my short OSR supplements series; The RPGPundit Presents!


Dark Albion: The Rose War! The OSR fantasy setting of the history that inspired Shakespeare and Martin alike.
Also available in Variant Cover form!
Also, now with the CULTS OF CHAOS cult-generation sourcebook

ARROWS OF INDRA
Arrows of Indra: The Old-School Epic Indian RPG!
NOW AVAILABLE: AoI in print form

LORDS OF OLYMPUS
The new Diceless RPG of multiversal power, adventure and intrigue, now available.

James McMurray

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • J
  • Posts: 4790
Multiple foes
« Reply #33 on: December 10, 2006, 09:31:39 PM »
Not if his group prefers it that way.

Otha, are these changes codified somewhere or uploadable? I'd be interested in seeing them.

finarvyn

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1646
Multiple foes
« Reply #34 on: December 10, 2006, 11:14:44 PM »
I agree. I'd like to see how you've modified the system to handle these issues. :)
Marv / Finarvyn
Kingmaker of Amber
I'm pretty much responsible for the S&W WB rules.
Amber Diceless Player since 1993
OD&D Player since 1975

JohnB

  • Newbie
  • *
  • J
  • Posts: 43
Multiple foes
« Reply #35 on: December 14, 2006, 06:43:01 PM »
As a GM, I came up with a simple mechanical solution.

With more than one person cooperating, I take the highest attribute on a side and add half of the second highest contributor's score. So in the example, player A with a 30 score still wins, because he is facing 20 + (15 X .5). So it is 30 vs 27.5.

With each additional contributor, I half it again. Say the 30 warfare person was fighting a 20, a 15 and a 12. Now the 30 *barely* loses since he is facing 20 +7.5 + 3= 30.5.

Of course it can get complicated when the players change from a warfare contest to another attribute mid-fight. But that's part of the fun.
 

James McMurray

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • J
  • Posts: 4790
Multiple foes
« Reply #36 on: December 14, 2006, 07:26:07 PM »
Do you have a minimum amount that each person adds (for instance if there's 25 people the ones on the tail end would rapidly be contributing nothing, even if they're on the outskirts with pistols).

finarvyn

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1646
Multiple foes
« Reply #37 on: December 14, 2006, 11:34:03 PM »
John -- I like your idea, at least in concept and in first glance. I'll have to think it through and maybe try a few more examples just to get a feel for the balance, but it has some definite merit. :)

Thanks for sharing!
Marv / Finarvyn
Kingmaker of Amber
I'm pretty much responsible for the S&W WB rules.
Amber Diceless Player since 1993
OD&D Player since 1975

Otha

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • O
  • Posts: 365
Multiple foes
« Reply #38 on: December 15, 2006, 06:13:41 AM »
Quote from: JohnB
As a GM, I came up with a simple mechanical solution.


Do the players know this?  Can they calculate out what it takes to beat someone?
 

Arref

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 176
    • http://www.skyseastone.net/itsog/
Multiple foes
« Reply #39 on: December 15, 2006, 09:12:57 AM »
Quote from: Otha
Do the players know this?  Can they calculate out what it takes to beat someone?


And what do you do with negative numbers? Do a hundred men have a chance of dragging Corwin down as they do in the books?
in the Shadow of Greatness
—sharing on game ideas and Zelazny's Amber

JohnB

  • Newbie
  • *
  • J
  • Posts: 43
Multiple foes
« Reply #40 on: December 15, 2006, 10:26:31 AM »
Quote from: Otha
Do the players know this?  Can they calculate out what it takes to beat someone?



The players generally don't know or reveal each other's stats, so generally it is guesswork on their part.
 

JohnB

  • Newbie
  • *
  • J
  • Posts: 43
Multiple foes
« Reply #41 on: December 15, 2006, 10:28:21 AM »
Quote from: James McMurray
Do you have a minimum amount that each person adds (for instance if there's 25 people the ones on the tail end would rapidly be contributing nothing, even if they're on the outskirts with pistols).



I didn't, figuring after a point more people just get in the way, but there is no reason you couldn't add a minimum if you thought it would be desireable.
 

JohnB

  • Newbie
  • *
  • J
  • Posts: 43
Multiple foes
« Reply #42 on: December 15, 2006, 10:40:19 AM »
Quote from: Arref
And what do you do with negative numbers? Do a hundred men have a chance of dragging Corwin down as they do in the books?


A very good question.

I treated negative numbers as zero, which would *not* emulate the guys doing that in the books. On the other hand, in every game I've run, those palace guards were not negative or even zero...I usually statted them out at a few points warfare thinking Amber would recruit the best of the best throughout their shadows for their guard.

If you wanted to make it possible for someone to get swarmed by "mooks", I would suggest giving them a minimum "1" value each or some such modification. It never came up in my games though to be honest. I would have likely just said "The mass of men finally overpowers and pins you" without bothering to calculate it out.
 

Otha

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • O
  • Posts: 365
Multiple foes
« Reply #43 on: December 16, 2006, 09:37:53 AM »
Quote from: JohnB
The players generally don't know or reveal each other's stats, so generally it is guesswork on their part.


So you don't run an auction?
 

JohnB

  • Newbie
  • *
  • J
  • Posts: 43
Multiple foes
« Reply #44 on: December 16, 2006, 01:38:46 PM »
Mostly I did use the auction, but I used secret bidding so only the first rank value was known to all. Who had what rank was kept secret. This led to some amusing situations when players had mistaken assumptions about who was what rank and acted on those mistaken assumptions.

In my last game I just had people assign points and dispensed with the auction altogether.