DougRed4 Rear Admiral
Joined: 18 Jan 2013 Posts: 2290 Location: Seattle, WA
|
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 2:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
atgxtg wrote: | It is also worth mentioning that sometimes too much equipment works against the characters. It's very un-D&Dish but it makes a lot of sense. Guys lying out on the beach all deck out in powered armor and carrying rocket launchers are going to attract attention and put most people on edge.
When (probably not if) the authorities decide to investigate, they will notice all the hardware the characters are toting, and gear up themselves before confronting the characters. That usually escalates the situation and the increased firepower tends to make the fight less forgiving.
Some of the players in our campaigns discovered that by carting the biggest, baddest weapon around, they pretty much painted a target on their backs, and opponents would shoot at them first (often to the exclusion of the other "weaker" characters), and with bigger, nastier weapons than they otherwise would have. |
Well said, atgxtg. I agree that this is the perfect way to handle this type of situation. I haven't had any problems in my current campaign; my players have been reasonable and have not tried to cover themselves in armor.
It's understandable that sometimes players want to get as good of a means of protection as possible, and I really like how this game often has DEX penalties for really powerful stuff.
One game we used to play - Decipher's Lord of the Rings RPG - had a great "Edge" (sort of a small superpower) that anyone could get. It was called "Armour of Heroes" and gave 2 points of protection against all attacks. The kicker was that it doesn't work while the character is wearing any sort of armor. So you can choose to wear Dwarven armor or mithril, but it would weigh you down as well as give you its good protection. Alternately, your hero could take Armour of Heroes and have a little bit of protection, rationalized as just a hint of good luck or fortune that heroic characters often have in stories.
@whill: I'd let them pick a few things, but tell them not to spend a great deal of time outfitting their characters. That way they don't suspect what's coming, but also don't waste a bunch of time choosing things they're going to immediately lose. _________________ Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green |
|
garhkal Sovereign Protector
Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 14254 Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
|
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 5:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Whill wrote: | The only thing I'm not sure about is, do I tell the players to not bother listing any items or credits during character creation? or do I let them list reasonable weapons and equipment and/or have the purchase things, just to tell them it's all gone at the start of the adventure?
|
In that situation, i would say 'don't bother writing any gear down as it will be lost from the get go.
Quote: | Well, in terms of what PCs actually carry on their persons it does become fairly relevent to keep complete records and prohibitions upon items not specifically equipped. The ex-AD&D players tend to spend a bit of time equipment-mining for useful RP items in every situation. |
It should also come int play for encumbrance. How much can they be carrying, and where is the 'not carried stuff stored'.. _________________ Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk! |
|