Accis, world of Bronze and Heroes

[LordVreeg]

sparkletwist

This reminds me of Vitality/Wounds from Unearthed Arcana, and I think Star Wars uses it too.

However, unlike those systems, it seems that you're basically using traditional HP and the distinction in your system only matters to recovery. I don't see anything inherently wrong with it, but I do want to ask-- for a light game like what it seems like Accis is trying to be, does this extra level of verisimilitude (if you could even call it that) and bookkeeping (you could definitely call it that) even add anything?

I mean, the thing about being able to get some health back from a gulp of wine is kind of cool and evocative, but that could just be a thing by itself. I'm not sure if the fast-and-furious, simpler-is-better atmosphere of OD&D really needs a mechanic like this.

There is another distinction, and that is what the different types of wounds translate to in the immersed game.  A character taking Endurance Hits can be seen as tiring or being battered, losing their wind, working through their adrenal rush, etc.

But do we need it?  I don't know.  It does add a level of bookkeeping.  Not a hard one, but it certainly is one more 'stat' to keep track of.  But HP have been making me nuts lately, in terms of how they are handled in games.  I think there will be an added layer in all of my games eventually.  All the discussion in how much of HPs represent energy level, luck, ability or the abilty to take punishments always ran into issues with recovery of HP.  So by splitting them in two, Accis, which is already a bit of an HP lite game, clearly sets the boundaries as to what damage levels really equate to physical damage.

We'll see how it goes, though.  Stay tuned.

[sparkletwist]

LordVreeg

But HP have been making me nuts lately, in terms of how they are handled in games.  I think there will be an added layer in all of my games eventually.

I thought your whole point in your games in having HP grow slowly and stay limited are that it could represent actual physical damage without any of the weird abstractions that games like D&D with its fast-growing HP use.

In this regard we share a design goal. HP in Asura stays low, too. When you lose HP, it's because you got hurt.

[LordVreeg]

sparkletwist

LordVreeg

But HP have been making me nuts lately, in terms of how they are handled in games.  I think there will be an added layer in all of my games eventually.

I thought your whole point in your games in having HP grow slowly and stay limited are that it could represent actual physical damage without any of the weird abstractions that games like D&D with its fast-growing HP use.

In this regard we share a design goal. HP in Asura stays low, too. When you lose HP, it's because you got hurt.

Well, IN GS, I already have rules in place that are the result of major amounts of damage taken.  And, in both games, I prefer the realism of armor taking some damage away (DR or protection) vs tons of hp.

But something I like in this added layer is that tales the place of wind and endurance in fighting, as well as helping me visualize and feel the combat taking place. 
See, I've played a lot of collegiate and some semi pro sports, as well as having fought.  And your wind and your ability to fall right and take a punch are all very, very real and important things.  And right now, little in the game simulates those very real things.  And this little split does a good job of covering them..as well as allowing the adventurers to stay out in the field longer.

[LordVreeg]

So I ended up with a situation where I had gamers for a few days but 1/2 were local and 1/2 were visiting (4 total), and so we decided to use Accis and bomb through the Temple of The Ant King, which became an almost diablo-1 clone.  There was a very local ruined town with a few hangers-on, that mainly became the base for the trecks into the ruined Temple/clergy complex. 
(Luckily, I had a map from a very old adventure, made in my freshman year of College, I think, in 85, that I was able to convert quickly.

I had a bunch of very contained sub-quests that were very small, Like the Spear of the Vermin, and the Return of Jom's Heart, that after a while started to feel very diablo-esque.  they made level 3 and 4 after 2 days of intense playing.  Lots of OSR fun, and they only lost 2 characters and 4 henchmen.

[LordVreeg]

WHat does it mean to be 'Denuri'?

In game mechanics, it means the part of the population that is 'level-capable', one of the great destroyers of any versimilitude for most OSR systems.  I say this based on setting logic, and in terms of how the game mechanics progress in terms of balance.

In Accis, being a very bronze-age, mythic game, the idea of the Denuri is that this is the small part of the population touched by fate, and by the gods.  Now, the Gods have lots of plans and lots of threads that are woven, but this still means most, 99%+ of the population is not Denuri.  With 18,000 inhabitants in the area under her jurisdiction, there are probably just under full150 Denuri, with maybe the same number of potential 'companions to heroes'.  This means a lot of things.

Maybe 40-50 of these are casters, with maybe 25 priests and priest subclasses, maybe15-ish Scholars and scholar subclasses, and the remaining casters are subclasses with a few spells or Oraters. 
Rogues with a major destiny are rare, but they exist, while Fighting Men, warriors with a place in fate, are the most numerous.

Now, this also assumes that Denuri are almost always in positions of power, as heritary lines, etc, are normally more important to the Gods.  And augery, legend, prophecy, etc, all feed into this.  The fact that the high priest of the Furies of the Flame can produce miracles of healing and flame is looked at the same way as when Joras the Butcher wades into a group of 5 'lesser men', coming out battered and bleeding, but unbowed.   Their destiny is graven deeply in the weave; as opposed to the small threads of a normal life.

Now, in play, especially when starting out, this is always interesting.  Since most priests and scholars and Orators cannot cannot cast spells, though it is gauche to use magic lightly, it is pretty easy to prove a PC is Denuri.  Fighters and rogues have it tougher.  But also remember, the stories are full of helpers and foils and people who are heroic enough to test Heroes...