The Gaming Den

But all supported types should have at least one viable build. I don't care overmuch if a Wisp Psion is required by law to take the Telekinesis path because without it they can't interact with physical objects. Heck, I'm OK if no Halfling character is ever going to succeed at the bullrushing combat...

As my post count is low, and my optimism and naivete has not yet been dashed against the jagged cliffs of reality by the folks here at the Den, I'm going to try to put the primary arguments into something approximating focus. Position 1: This is a role-playing game in a Tolkien-esque fantasy setting...

Now, the fact half-orcs are only decent at classes that suck is a problem, but that's because every fighter sucks compared to the wizard. Not because half orcs thusly suck. No contest there. It just seems to me that variety, at the very least, does not make you worse off, because you can always jus...

There's a point here I think I'm missing. I see stuff like this: The point is, if you don't want half-orcs to be wizards, just flat-out tell people "half-orcs can't be wizards in this campaign." Don't sabatoge the race/class combo then leave it open...this just creates a trap for newbies. ...

The problem with it is that HERO is designed for a different game than the one we are talking about in most threads on these boards. That system is brilliant for a superhero game, but in a game where you are awesome with an ordinary sword and even more asskicking with a magic sword, that mechanic d...

HERO has a system where if you're a superhero and you want to have a new toy - say, a gun with which to shoot folks in the face or a radar device to see through walls with - you have to pay for it with the same character points you have to use to generate the rest of your character, because some oth...

Well in that case we are totally, 100%, on the same page. No more complaints here.

Kaelik: In any case, it sounds like we want the same thing for racial diversity: equal-power but distinct mechanical abilities. It sounds like Kaelik doesn't want just equal power between races, but equal power between every race/class combination. Now, regardless of whether I agree with this goal ...

You're playing a warrior-type. You can be stronger, tougher, or more agile. Which is superior? Explain. Each one is superior - for a different build. Str is better for the 2H beatstick, Dex is better for the swashbuckler, etc. Here's the thing: yes, Str is better for the 2H beatstick, yes, Dex is b...

So you could have a roguey elf, a magey elf, and a fightery elf trait, they would all be elves but they would also have their unique cool elf ability for their archetype that would differenciate them from a dwarf or a kobold. This ability wouldn't necessarily make them better, just uniquely cool fr...

@Talisman: Basically, yes, all over the place. #1 and #2 make race entirely roleplaying-based, which, no doubt, is totally fine for some people and some systems. I, personally don't want that, but I'm pretty sure there're some folks around here who do which is, again, fine for them. I'm not entirely...

Well thank goodness, for a second I was worried PL was just unable to understand the concept that races with mechanical differences will behave differently mechanically, but then he very graciously clarified for me that: and correct me if I'm wrong here, that we all think that race in this model sho...

So? They could be say, better rogues. Assuming both classes are equally good, then its just a matter of "Waaa, I want to play a halfling fighter but halflings are (surprise!) too weak and small to be good fighters." So could you please explain why characters should be gimped for coming up...

Oh man, I saw this one about a year or so ago. Good stuff.

(and if you think neither solar nor wind power generation are harmful to the environment, I've got news for you) Actually I have news for you on that front. The raised issue with solar generation here is the pollution caused by manufacture of complex industrial components. I remind you that atomic ...

Now seems like a good time to point out that people on both sides of this nuclear power issue are either exaggerating their views or stupid. Nuclear fission is a pretty efficient method of power generation. It uses fuel which is quite abundant right now and will , some day in the not too distant fut...

I'd just like to mention, lest people be mislead, that the whole deal about speculators driving up the price of oil by two hundred million percent and they need to be shut down right now and brought under strict government control was a ginormous straw man argument, since analysis showed that specul...

You know, I was wondering something. Remember that energy crisis? The one that happened, like, two months ago, when oil was up to five dollars a gallon, nearly 150 bucks per barrel, and the sky was falling, and we all needed to rid ourselves of our dependence on evil foreign oil and invest in (stupi...

I seem to recall a line of Socratic argument that said that if what the gods like/want is holy, and because the gods disagree all the time, something can be both holy and unholy at the same time. It's from the Euthyphro. Socrates: Hey Euthyphro, what's holiness? Euthyphro: The holy is that which th...

That might be a disproportionate punishment. After all, the United States has plenty of laws on its books that mandate long prison sentences for what many would consider minor offences (like many drug offences). On the other hand, maybe this guy did something really heinous, and he shouldn't even be...

How about attributes that have exponential effects instead of linear ones? Say each attribute represents a power of two, so you have: 2^attribute = how awesome you are. The average person has straight zeroes in all stats, so they will have 2^0, or 1. That is, an average person is as strong, swift, s...

Just to chime in, the 4 item limit completely bones too many fighter-type characters. For instance, the 2 weapon fighter: - melee weapon - melee weapon - ranged weapon - armor I personally would only count items worn, not items held in the hand. Weapons, wands and staves (as well as single-uses) do...

What about Spiderman in the Venom suit? I'm not as well-versed in Spiderman as I could be, but the Venom suit is not a Suit. A Suit, as I understand it, is a Power Suit, one driven by awesome technology and arc fusion generators. When you're in a Suit, you get smacked through multiple buildings and...

Well for now I would recommend Champions, on the grounds that it is playable, up and running, and quite good. It's kind of math-heavy during char gen for many people, so I understand if you have trouble getting people to jump on that bandwagon. But inspired as I was by your vote of confidence I wen...

Frank, if you felt like putting up some details about Superhero stuff somewhere, I'd be very interested in reading about it. After showing some folks down here Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, I've got them interested in the idea of a superhero game.