Comments on: Good players need more skill points

By: Captain Stone

Captain Stone — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:51:54 +0000

Another system which has a similar mechanic is Deadlands. All players are required to choose a series of edges and balance them out with a series of hinderances. THis definetly worked towards character development because the hinderances were sometimes not even character flaws. If someone had a combination of edges that gave a total point value of five they would need a combination of hinderances that balanced it out. An example would be “heroic” would be worth 3 points and a severe “hankerin” or addiction would be worth 2 balancing out the five points in there edges. Also by playing off their hinderances they would gain a series of bounty points or fate chips which they could use in play and and in enhancing their character.

By: Ian Winterbottom

Ian Winterbottom — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:17:33 +0000

Bob, I haven’t seen GURPS but I think the Hero system had what you describe. Worked fine for me. Made folks actually think about their character, I found, rather than min-maxing they had to think about it; and if you were DM-ing there was a readymade problem for them when some Villain discovered their weakness for Cheddar Cheese or whatever! Almost anything can affect the Character but the Player has to get into it; and skills or ads/disads are a good way to crowbar them into it.
Dooda – what do you DO with the dire Weasels, or is that a personal question??

By: Dooda

Dooda — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:54:36 +0000

I love dire weasels!!!

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:31:19 +0000

As an aside, I always liked the system of “advantages” and “disadvantages” (ads and disads) in GURPS (or was it the Hero game system, I can’t remember?). There, you took an advantage, roughly equivalent to a feat, but then you took a disadvantage, kind of an anti-feat that gave you a character flaw – for example, sure you were really strong, but you were also an alcoholic, had lost an eye (with negatives to hit), you were weakened by the presence of Kryptonite, or whatever. Not sure how this would work in D20. Perhaps you could give players an extra Feat, if they take an Antifeat – but you’d have to come up with a list of Antifeats and what they do to the character.

By: Ian Winterbottom

Ian Winterbottom — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:12:57 +0000

I haven’t actually used Skill Points, since as a 1e merchant I predate the Dinosaurs mentioned above! I am however all for anything which details, or individualises, the Character, giving him/her personality; the most important thing I miss in using the old Edition (simply never learned later ones, nobody to play them with) are Feats, which seem a great way of doing that. Skills however seem another good idea for developing a character, an enticement to make the Player put some effort into “himself”; and I’m also all in favour of Backstory, even though it may not help the Player, it gives the GM something to hang his story on, the character has a vested interest in rescuing the maiden if it is his own sister/niece/whatever? He can call in favours from old friends – “You look at the Sea Captain, and by the Gods, he is familiar! How did old XXXX become a sailor? Would he give you passage to XXX?” Skills are also an incentive to plan the character, rather than trying to min/max him? It even allows the GM to add personality to his NPCs, as the players start to look for what makes them “tick!”? If it makes the players get into the game, I favour it! As for herding Dire Weasels, I would hate to be the one who tries to shear one….