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Post by ElvenScribe on Apr 25, 2016 8:53:47 GMT -5
I'm not sure what section of the forum to post the following, moderators feel free to move it as needed.
So, I've noticed a prevailing theme and/or mechanic in T&T (at least with the published adventures) that tend to get pc's killed rather quickly. I understand that this is very much in keeping with the old skool themes of FRPGs of old (e.g. I very clearly remember losing an entire party in the classic AD&D module Tomb of Horrors). And I understand also that there is a strong humorous quality to T&T which kind of makes the deadly quality of adventures akin to a kind of dark humor. I appreciate that kind of humor. But I am also finding it difficult as I tend to get very attached to my characters. I don't mind my characters dying but to me it seems like death should mean something. That being the case I have a couple ideas to rectify this: a. Borrow an idea from video games and simply "hit reset" and go back to the last "save" as it were. Iow, take the character back to the point of death and try again. This could be overused however and could tend to make the fun aspect of the adventuring lower (making them kind of invincible) which is not what I want either. b. Implement a house rule mechanic which could give characters an edge such as hero points, wild dice, or some such thing (as seen in many more modern games (such as Savage Worlds, Mutants and Masterminds....which always made sense to me as protagonists should have a tendency to prevail per the themes of countless movies and books).
What do any of you think of this? Do you get attached to your characters? Does it not suck when they die? If so, are any of you using house rules to alter fatal outcomes however slightly? Your input is valued. Thanks! |
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dekh
5th Level Troll
dekh by Grumlahk
Posts: 622
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Post by dekh on Apr 25, 2016 11:31:05 GMT -5
The FBI solos especially are designed to kill otherwise there would be little replayability.
Sometimes though death is a bit arbitrary and that kinda sucks.
Ken has stated in the past that it's reasonable to make a L1SR (sometimes higher) to back out of a paragraph if it's gonna be obviously fatal.
Other strategies involve fudging things if they continue to be insurmountable.
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tp
3rd Level Troll
Posts: 221 
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Post by tp on Apr 25, 2016 11:43:32 GMT -5
In a GMed game, it is easy to make adventures less deadly, monsters with lower MRs. easier SRs and generally more roleplay-y stuff that involves thinking rather than rolling.
In solos it is a bit different. Yes, I get attached to my characters and it is annoying when they get killed just for, for instance, turning right instead of left at a T-junction. But there has to be some risk or else there is no sense of achievement. I have no qualms about restarting an adventure with the same hero, just forget all the AP and extra stuff they found and start again.
The adventure Abyss in the DT&T rule book allows you to bring a dead character back. A also plan to write a solo which does the same thing, it seems like a less cheaty way of giving a well loved character a second chance.
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Post by ProfGremlin on Apr 25, 2016 12:08:39 GMT -5
Yup, sucks when your character has to pony-up a coin to Charon to get across the river Styx. Here are two threads I bookmarked to help out with house-ruling a solo: Solitaire Dungeon Protocols How to survive a soloThere are some great ideas and techniques in there. |
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Post by zanshin on Apr 25, 2016 14:15:16 GMT -5
Prof gremlin is the mentat of Trollbridge!
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Post by hrrrothgarrr on Apr 25, 2016 15:59:23 GMT -5
There was a spell that basicly allowed you to create a "save point" for your character if you cast it before entering the dungeon. Can't remember where it was though.
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Post by zanshin on Apr 25, 2016 16:03:29 GMT -5
I think 'Dear God' could be interpreted that way. I can't recall a specific adventure that did.
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Post by colbite on Apr 25, 2016 18:42:34 GMT -5
You are thinking of the spell "Do Over! Do Over!"
It is a 1st level spell (costs 6) only for solo play. This spell must be cast in paragraph 1 of the solo adventure (or introduction, etc), otherwise it has no effect whatsoever.
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Post by mahrundl on Apr 26, 2016 7:11:36 GMT -5
Another option for saving a character could be based on a rule from the RPG The Fantasy Trip. In that system, you must permanently lose 5 points from your attributes (of which there are 3: ST, DX, and IQ) if you die and are brought back to life.
In the context of solo play in T & T, you could have a similar penalty applied: instead of dying, permanently deduct x points from your attributes and continue from the point at which you (would have) died. x could be a fixed amount, could be set differently for each solo, could be random, could be your current level number, or could change depending on circumstances.
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