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Fantasy Express / Re: What does "Set" mean to you?
« on: February 18, 2025, 03:43:17 AM »
Thanks for the reply and clarifications 
Anwyn
Fantasy Express
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Fantasy Express / Re: What does "Set" mean to you?
« on: February 16, 2025, 07:48:46 PM »
I'm way late to weigh in on this topic, but for me to "set" a weapon against a charge, infantry or cavalry, etc, it needs to be touching the ground as well as pointing at the approaching enemy. So spears and other polearms are the obvious selection.
But if you aren't trying to do a real world simulator, not something I'd suggest with fantasy, I think I'd allow Tower Shields to be used as well. Obviously that's not something you can attack with, but it would be useful for helping to break charges, especially if in a shield wall or phalanx.
Smaller shields just can't be slammed to the ground and still be in the way of the attackers, and there are plenty of examples of real shields of that size having spikes on the bottom to help 'set' them.
I haven't read enough of the combat rules to figure out more than that yet, so take my comments with a grain or three of salt
But if you aren't trying to do a real world simulator, not something I'd suggest with fantasy, I think I'd allow Tower Shields to be used as well. Obviously that's not something you can attack with, but it would be useful for helping to break charges, especially if in a shield wall or phalanx.
Smaller shields just can't be slammed to the ground and still be in the way of the attackers, and there are plenty of examples of real shields of that size having spikes on the bottom to help 'set' them.
I haven't read enough of the combat rules to figure out more than that yet, so take my comments with a grain or three of salt
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Novus 2e / Not Bare Bones? (ETA?)
« on: December 15, 2021, 11:38:06 PM »
Yay!
Thanks for the answers :-D
Got the bare bones, waiting for the meaty one too.
It's the holidays, so don't overwork yourself.
Hmmm....
I myself prefer compendiums as opposed to a dozen or more separate files/documents.
I could see see the Spellcasters split into a different book simply due to the size once spell lists are added.
(That might also allow that one to be released a bit later for polish, testing, extended brunch with squirrels, time to actually write it, whatever :lol: )
Again, thanks for the reply., and don't let the rabid gamers eviscerate anyone important :mrgreen:
Thanks for the answers :-D
Got the bare bones, waiting for the meaty one too.
It's the holidays, so don't overwork yourself.
Hmmm....
I myself prefer compendiums as opposed to a dozen or more separate files/documents.
I could see see the Spellcasters split into a different book simply due to the size once spell lists are added.
(That might also allow that one to be released a bit later for polish, testing, extended brunch with squirrels, time to actually write it, whatever :lol: )
Again, thanks for the reply., and don't let the rabid gamers eviscerate anyone important :mrgreen:
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Novus 2e / Not Bare Bones? (ETA?)
« on: December 15, 2021, 06:22:46 AM »
It's great that the bare bones 2.0 is out, but is there any ETA for the (?) "Full" or maybe "Meaty" edition?
Also, is there any guess on price differences?
If I have anything left over after all the christmas stuff, I plan on getting it either way, but if a version that isn't "bare bones" is coming out soon, I might go for that. (Or if the price is a lot higher, just grab bare bones and go with it for now.)
Obviously I don't expect any absolutes, just intentions or guesses from Firehawk. Things happen and reality is a bit unpredictable right now.
For example, Pinnacle just had their scheduled shipping container sold out from under them, and they have no idea when they can get another one.
So S.N.A.F.U. is to be expected these days.
Thanks everyone :-D
Also, is there any guess on price differences?
If I have anything left over after all the christmas stuff, I plan on getting it either way, but if a version that isn't "bare bones" is coming out soon, I might go for that. (Or if the price is a lot higher, just grab bare bones and go with it for now.)
Obviously I don't expect any absolutes, just intentions or guesses from Firehawk. Things happen and reality is a bit unpredictable right now.
For example, Pinnacle just had their scheduled shipping container sold out from under them, and they have no idea when they can get another one.
So S.N.A.F.U. is to be expected these days.
Thanks everyone :-D
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Novus RPG / Insanity or Corruption?
« on: April 19, 2011, 02:34:12 AM »
Running ink and blurry text.
Too literal? Ok.
I'd think it would be a series of situational Snags and/or penalties instead of 'mental hit points'.
For example, someone on the rowboat got messed up and nailed by an insanity attack, failed save, and now suffers. (Maybe it's only temp) Until it's removed (time, healing, drugs, etc) he refuses to go on boats, needs a will save to do so when necessary, and suffers a -2 to all actions when on a boat. Maybe it gets worse after another bad incident on a sailboat. Now he's at -4 on boats and to his will save to temporarily overcome his fear, and it's so bad, he even gets a -1 if near bodies of water. (Something large and deep enough to swim in, not the bathtub.)
Just an idea. I remember trying to keep track of sanity points in many games (including Call of Cthulhu), and it never seemed to go as easily as HP did. Besides, the only part that really mattered to the players was when you actually went nuts, not the point based decent into madness.
Hope my opinion helps rather than confuses. If it causes insanity, I'm not responsible, it must have driven me insane when I thought of it.
Too literal? Ok.
I'd think it would be a series of situational Snags and/or penalties instead of 'mental hit points'.
For example, someone on the rowboat got messed up and nailed by an insanity attack, failed save, and now suffers. (Maybe it's only temp) Until it's removed (time, healing, drugs, etc) he refuses to go on boats, needs a will save to do so when necessary, and suffers a -2 to all actions when on a boat. Maybe it gets worse after another bad incident on a sailboat. Now he's at -4 on boats and to his will save to temporarily overcome his fear, and it's so bad, he even gets a -1 if near bodies of water. (Something large and deep enough to swim in, not the bathtub.)
Just an idea. I remember trying to keep track of sanity points in many games (including Call of Cthulhu), and it never seemed to go as easily as HP did. Besides, the only part that really mattered to the players was when you actually went nuts, not the point based decent into madness.
Hope my opinion helps rather than confuses. If it causes insanity, I'm not responsible, it must have driven me insane when I thought of it.
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Novus RPG / Action Declaration/Resolution Question
« on: April 19, 2011, 02:23:20 AM »
In most of the groups I've been in, it almost always ends up being a case of act on your init without making declarations of intent.
The declaration phase in games takes time, sometimes as much as the action phase itself. Besides, after the first couple of participants go, everything everyone else had declared has been foobar'd completely so they end up having to do something else. Not to mention those times they forgot what they declared, which happens often and can be easily avoided by writing it down, which takes even more time. (I have each person do their own writing, saves me from hand cramps.)
Essentially tossing the Declaration Phase has been argued as being unrealistic, and sure, it doesn't give hyperboy the advantage of knowing what everyone else is planning, however it does let slowguy respond to the changing battlefield in ways hyperboy never could because he's always jumping in headfirst without thinking. In a number of ways, it's just as realistic without declaring what you want to do. (On the fairness argument, the fast one got to go first, why should the slow guy get penalized because his original declaration is now invalid. After all, it's a game for fun, not for screwing the other guy.) Besides, if your group is anything like mine, you always have one guy that does everything he can to max initiative so he (almost) always gets to go first. That same person usually has no idea what tactics and strategies are, and doesn't care.
Just a note, I'd totally leave 'Step 2: Declare Actions' in the standard rules, but just know that a lot of people will completely toss that out as a waste of time.
Just my 2 bits.
The declaration phase in games takes time, sometimes as much as the action phase itself. Besides, after the first couple of participants go, everything everyone else had declared has been foobar'd completely so they end up having to do something else. Not to mention those times they forgot what they declared, which happens often and can be easily avoided by writing it down, which takes even more time. (I have each person do their own writing, saves me from hand cramps.)
Essentially tossing the Declaration Phase has been argued as being unrealistic, and sure, it doesn't give hyperboy the advantage of knowing what everyone else is planning, however it does let slowguy respond to the changing battlefield in ways hyperboy never could because he's always jumping in headfirst without thinking. In a number of ways, it's just as realistic without declaring what you want to do. (On the fairness argument, the fast one got to go first, why should the slow guy get penalized because his original declaration is now invalid. After all, it's a game for fun, not for screwing the other guy.) Besides, if your group is anything like mine, you always have one guy that does everything he can to max initiative so he (almost) always gets to go first. That same person usually has no idea what tactics and strategies are, and doesn't care.
Just a note, I'd totally leave 'Step 2: Declare Actions' in the standard rules, but just know that a lot of people will completely toss that out as a waste of time.
Just my 2 bits.
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Novus RPG / Typo and Error Collection Thread
« on: April 19, 2011, 02:02:58 AM »
I'm new here, and my group hasn't read over stuff yet, but here's a little bit that I haven't spotted in this list yet.
Novus beta v0.30 (free edition, will get paid edition later this week.)
Talent Trainable table, page 18: Favored Skill is shown at not trainable. In the Favored Skill description on page 19, it is shown as trainable.
A second thing that's bugging me is the wording of Starting Languages on page 13.
A little rewording might be in order. (Ok, English is like a second language to me, but still...)
Just a suggestion, and somebody with better grades in English can probably do a lot better than me. (Please have someone with more writing eloquence than I have do this.) It's just that in it's original text, I know two of my friends that would take it totally wrong and do weird things.
Thanks, will post anything else I hit that I don't see in the Typo/Error thread.
Novus beta v0.30 (free edition, will get paid edition later this week.)
Talent Trainable table, page 18: Favored Skill is shown at not trainable. In the Favored Skill description on page 19, it is shown as trainable.
A second thing that's bugging me is the wording of Starting Languages on page 13.
They may have a maximum number of languages equal to 5+ their Intelligence stat bonus.
Spoken Elven and Written Elven count as a single language when determining how many languages a character knows. The same applies for the spoken and written forms of other
languages as well.
A little rewording might be in order. (Ok, English is like a second language to me, but still...)
They may have a maximum number of different languages equal to 5+ their Intelligence stat bonus.
The written and spoken forms of a language are a single language. For Example, Spoken Elven and Written Elven are both part of the single language of Elven for the purposes of how many different languages a character may know.
Just a suggestion, and somebody with better grades in English can probably do a lot better than me. (Please have someone with more writing eloquence than I have do this.) It's just that in it's original text, I know two of my friends that would take it totally wrong and do weird things.
Thanks, will post anything else I hit that I don't see in the Typo/Error thread.
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