Thursday, October 02, 2008

Let loose the fireworks

I'm posting this from my tablet.

This is something I've been eager to type for some time now. My Toshiba R20 tablet laptop's power brick died half a year ago, and I had been unable to really afford a replacement. Well, now that I can (to some degree) I bit the bullet and purchased an off-brand. Which I returned today, and exchanged it for a Kensington after the other one didn't work.

I didn't realize how much I missed this thing. Looks like I'll be able to liveblog from Meaningful Play, after all!

So I've spent the past few days in quite a flurry. As far as games go, I've been quizzing every WAR player I come across about their experiences. Then, I ask them what makes WAR the most different from WoW.

You see, I'm very interested in playing Warhammer Online. Naturally my investment in Games Workshop plays a part in that, but the resounding echoes of "It's fun!" has me curious. However, I want to play something that is vastly different from the shin-kicking combat (see Zero Punctuation, EVE Review) of standard MMOGs.

My old laptop, which I also recently rescued, still has Diablo II installed. I attempted to play an old discarded Druid, and I found myself unable to do so. I still fondly remember the Necromancer that I made (the one with the army), and so I started a new version of him. Even starting out fresh, I was having more fun watching my skeletons shin-kick, than if I was physically doing the shin-kicking.

I believe I really am that fed-up with such a dated combat system. It doesn't help that Mutants and Masterminds, one of the best Pen and Paper systems out there, completely did away with Hit Points. Instead, the Damage Conditions it uses make fights much more realistic and dramatic; adjectives that are completely built into the system itself.

Now if only I could find my book, I wouldn't have to rely on a proxy in order to express my ideas.

For instance. I give to you, a song from the Battle Bard concept. Imagine a traditional fantasy bard, strumming on a lute as he casts a spell. Instead of affecting someone else, his lute suddenly explodes into a flaming axe of doom!

Dance of Destruction - Magic, Fire -.5pp/rank
Transform [Rank 1] - 3pp/r
Flaw - Action x3
Flaw - Limited (Requires Instrument)

It may need a little more work to get right, but that's it. The better the instrument, the more powerful the weapon.

Can't wait until that book shows up. Think I'll go hunt for it some more.

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