In message <per463taqgqopk0dmqm5kjpq6fvd97u2i2@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Ed Chauvin IV <edcfour@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Mere moments before death, psychohist <psychohist@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> hastily
> scrawled:
>
> >In a permanent death game where the dice are not fudged, I certainly
> >think it's more exciting to win on one's last hit point. On the other
> >hand, I think it's the kind of excitement most players could live
> >without.
>
> /nod
Never mind the players, that's certainly something the GM can live
without.
It's very hard to achieve that level of precision without fudging. And it
rapidly becomes apparent that you're fudging after this happens for the
second or third time.
I suppose the most reliable way to do it would be to use a slightly weaker
villain who goes down a little earlier, and then keep using 'incremental
fudges' to keep him going until the PC is on his last legs, then finally
allow the villain to drop. But if the PC's dice luck fails at the last
minute, this can all go horribly wrong requiring yet more fudging in the
opposite direction. And this sort of fudging behaviour is relatively easy
to
spot.
The whole thing is just an exercise in generating false drama, isn't it?
Cheesy. Not my cup of tea either.
Actually I have a player who almost never retreats and never surrenders,
and
he's won more than a few fights at the last gasp. But I think that's bad
play on his part, and it's cost him some needless losses. And I tend to
feel
that most PCs who insist on hanging around to the last gasp are being
played
badly - they should have retreated or surrendered before then. And so too
should the bad guy under the same cir***stances. For all these reasons, I
tend to view a victory on the last hit point as bad rather than good, both
for in-character and gamist reasons. It's only a good idea from a
dramatist
viewpoint, and I feel even then it should be used very sparingly,
otherwise
it becomes cliched.
--
Simon Smith
When emailing me, please use my preferred email address, which is on my
web
site at http://www.simon-smith.org
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