On Damaging

Recently in this week's Extra Punctuation, Yahtzee talks about the importance of having a proper effect in videogames to signify you're doing damage. Proper gunfire sounds, enemies reeling and spilling blood, numbers floating over their head, etc. Recently a game designer was asked why they had clumsy numbers floating up over creatures' heads when they took damage, and he said it was to assure the player that they're doing damage.

The point of this matter is how it applies to RPGs. In Fantasy Craft, the game I'm running, we have that floating number. More rarely, either due to a special effect of an attack or a critical hit, an enemy is weakened in a way that gives it actual penalties. This is the closest you're going to get to a sprite reeling or flying away. But most of the time you just get those numbers, which I don't think is very satisfying.

In a game like White Wolf's Storyteller system or Legend of the Five Rings, you have wound "levels" that penalize a character, and this may be more satisfying. It's less satisfying (at least in a wish-fulfillment sense) for the player, though, as they get to feel all the reeling and stumbling around wound too.

One thought or a system would be to give a player a choice when doing damage - bring an enemy closer to death, or cripple them (and make them easier to fight, or humiliate them). Another would to make critical hits more often, but give much milder effects, perhaps along with normal critical effects. Maybe some type of hero point system gives players an ability to blow off those injuries.

The Maelstrom system I was working on had a damage system where you could choose what sort of damage you took - but if you chose not to take an injury, you would come closer to actually getting killed outright. Similar systems could be used on the NPC end, where a player gets to buy effect rather than do straight damage, and build up points between turn. Maybe they degrade if you hang on, though, to encourage immediate use.

I try hard to describe purely numerical damage in my game, but it's tough. Maybe with more mechanical punch, damage can feel dangerous again.

Three Stores, How to Do it Better

I've long been a shopper of the Xbox Marketplace and Steam, and I'm sitting here going through the Playstation Store. It said there were four free things available to Plus subscribers, so let's go see what they are?

Uh.

Well, it doesn't have an obvious category for them. You'd think if you're treating those who have dropped $50, you'd make it easy for them, right? So I go into Playstation Plus area. Well, nine categories, not sure where they are. Let's try "Playstation Plus" again. That's for subscriptions. "Games". Oh, "Free!"

But a bit of searching reveals there's more stuff that's not mentioned under the DLC category. Ooops. Oh, hey, Hard Corps: Uprising is on sale, let's try a demo-

- oh, there is no demo.

Not to say that Marketplace and Steam don't have their problems. I was recently trying to figure out if certain indie devs (Puppy Games, Mediatonic) had more games on Steam I wasn't seeing, but there's no way to show by developer or publisher, aside from the publisher packs during sales. And I know I always have to head to Cheapassgamer.com if I want to see clearly what's on sale.

But Playstation is the roughest. A lot of games don't have demos or screenshots, so best know what you're buying beforehand. Is what I want a PS1 Classic? A PSN Exclusive? A PS3 Game? A PSP Mini? It's all a bit confusing. Speaking of which, where was that category for foreign imports, I was interested in that but... it's gone? No, it's under "PS1 Classics".

If you want to shop there, you have to make me want to shop there. I just had my nose to the computer during the Steam Summer Sale, but with the Playstation Store, I feel bothered just looking at it. Someday I'll pick something up, but for today I'm grabbing my free crap and running.

Fantasy Craft: Bonus Mystery

Because you can't design just one.

Melee Combat Feats

Duelist Basics

You aim to end fights swiftly - in your favor.

Prerequisites: Sword forte

Benefit: You gain +5 to initiative rolls. Also, you gain a stance.

First Stance (Stance): Any one-handed sword you use alone gains the finesse quality. In addition, you get +2 to melee attack rolls and +2 melee damage rolls when your Initiative Count is higher than the opponent you're attacking.

Duelist Mastery

You focus in on a singular, perfect strike.

Prerequisites: Duelist Basics

Benefit: The first time you use Aim or Anticipate in a round, gain 1 Edge.

Strike From the Void (Sword Attack Trick): Spend 2 Edge. If this melee attack is successful and inflicts damage, the target is -4 to attack rolls against you until your next initiative count.

Duelist Supremacy

Your blade strikes so fast, it may as well be invisible.

Prerequisites: Duelist Mastery

Benefit: You may replace the bonuses granted by the Aim or Anticipate actions with your Dexterity modifier. Anticipate actions that target you add +10 to their DC. You also gain a trick.

Strike With No Thought (Sword Attack Trick): You may substitute your initiative bonus for your melee attack bonus. If the attack misses you become flat-footed at the end of your Initiative Count. You may use this trick as many times per combat as you have Melee Combat feats.

Fantasy Craft: Total Mystery

See if you can figure out my SECRET CONVERSION:

Basic Combat Feats

Wall Basics

You embody the might of the Carpenter Wall.

Benefit: The first time you are hit in a round yet take take no damage, you gain 1 edge. Also, you gain a Stance.

The Mountain Does Not Move (Stance): You are treated as one size larger for the purpose of Bull Rush, Grapple, or Trip actions. Furthermore, any character trying to Tumble through your space adds an additional +5 to their TN. You may not move while in this stance (though you can still take 5-ft. steps as usual).

Wall Mastery

Pain in, pain out!

Prerequisites: Wall Basics

Benefit: When wearing medium or heavy armor and not using a shield, the AP of any attack that targets you is reduced by a number equal to the Basic Combat feats you possess. Also, you gain a trick.

Devastating Blow (Attack Trick): Spend 3 Edge. If you hit and inflict damage, the target is stunned for one full round.

Wall Supremacy

Death no longer concerns you.

Prerequisites: Wall Mastery

Benefit: You gain 5 edge when your vitality points are expended for the first time in a scene. You also gain the Tough I NPC quality, and a trick.

The Mountain Does Not Fall (Refresh Trick): Spend 4 Edge instead of an action die. This Refresh action can be used even if you are suffering from conditions, and you gain the benefits of two action dice. You gain +4 to Defense for one full round.

Fantasy Craft: Experts!

(Sure, I wrote this for the Fantasy Craft boards, but it's long enough that it deserves a little cross-posting.)

While looking at build options recently, I was struck by the various "Expert" specialty traits, but it's hard to analyze them at a glance, given their dependence on supporting feats. Each of them, essentially, increases your feats taken for purposes of abilities that rely on the abilities of feats you have available. As such, here's a summary of the various ones available. Some are really good, some are good in a niche, and some aren't very useful at all. After writing up the list, I thought it would be interesting to share my findings. Most traits in Fantasy Craft are easy to parse and understand, but I thought these traits could use a bit of explanation as to what they do, precisely.

First off, Melee Combat Expert. This is only gained through the Fighter specialty, and treats you as if you have 2 more feats for purposes of any ability. Which abilities? Well, Melee Combat Expert is the best-supported Expert trait in the game, with benefits for a wide variety of builds, increasing trick usage and trick DCs. of course, there are a variety of chains that gain no benefit - axe, club, knife, whip, and any Melee feat chain from Adventure Companion.

- Feats that benefit: Fencing Mastery, Flail Supremacy, Greatsword Mastery, Hammer Mastery, Polearm Basics, Shield Supremacy, Spear Mastery, Spear Supremacy, Staff Mastery, Staff Supremacy, Sword Supremacy

- Tricks that benefit: Arrow Cutting, Breaking Twist*, Decisive Swing*, Parry, Shield Block, Triumphant Swing

The second Expert trait we see is Basic Combat Expert, only gained through the Vanguard specialty. This looks strong, right? There's a good deal of basic combat feats, and many of them are very, very good. The truth is, though, if you aren't using the tricks from Adventure Companion, only a single feat benefits. It's a strong feat, but it doesn't even have the decency to show up as the Vanguard's bonus feat. This might work well with the Captain's Right-Hand Man class ability, but it's not clear.

- Feat that benefits: Combat Focus

- Tricks that benefit: Damned If You Do*, Damned If You Don't*, Pick On the Big Guy*, Pick On the Little Guy*

The third Expert trait is Chance Expert, only found in the Cultist specialty (from Adventure Companion). Though the amount of feats that benefit from it is slim, its synergy with Fortunate is very strong, giving 2 extra d4 action dice. What's more, the specialty comes with a chance feat that directly benefits, making the Cultist a strong start for any chance-based build on par with the Adventurer. While not supported much, it is strong for a specialized Chance build.

- Feats that benefit: Black Cat, Fortunate, Fortune's Fool

- Tricks that benefit: None

Another Expert trait we get is Covert Expert, granted by the Raven Noble feat and the House Agent specialty (both from Adventure Companion), and a variation of it on the Hart Noble feat. It's really too bad that it's the most common and available Expert trait, because it's hardly supported at all! Better hope you plan to use poison, since it's the only trick that benefits out of the main book, though Adventure Companion does have an additional feat.

- Feat that benefits: Safe House*

- Tricks that benefit: Venom Master

Though not Unarmed Expert per se, the Tiger Noble feat (from Adventure Companion) grants a comparable ability. Unfortunately, most of its benefits are locked up at a pair of supremacy feats, so it may be considered even harder to utilize than Covert Expert. Adventure Companion gives a strong trick, but it's a trick shared by all combat styles (Melee Combat gets a comparable trick, listed above).

- Feats that benefit: Kicking Supremacy, Wrestling Supremacy

- Tricks that benefit: Decisive Blow*

* Trait found in Adventure Companion.

If I've missed something, let me know - it's quite possible my eyes glazed over when skimming through the feat lists. Hopefully the underutilized traits will see some additions at some point - it's clear why it's only a 1 point trait in the origin creation rules now that I look at it, but it feels like Melee Combat Expert should cost a good deal more than its counterparts.