Post originally by Spartan at 2003-08-19 15:22:07
Converted from Phorums BB System



xagen wrote:
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However, I do think my comments still have merit. Let me explain using your examples. If Vampire inhibited you from taking actions, in such a way that TROS's combat system does, would you still want to play? If everyone you met on the street carried amulets of sunlight, that created sunlight in a 50' radius, would Vampire be as much fun? Maybe. Maybe not. In Vampire, you can be heroic (or not), because you're more powerful than many of your opponents. In TROS, you're equal to or weaker than most of your opponents.
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Vampire and TROS are completely different games. TROS combat does not preclude your character from being a warrior, but it puts limits on his lifespan if he's a DUMB warrior. Frontal attacks on superior numbers are dumb. Charging archers is dumb. Look at the Battle of Agincourt. Allowing a sorcerer to strike at you from a distance is dumb. In TROS, you cut your opponents down in their sleep. You ambush them, preferably with the odds on your side. You choose favourable terrain. You use archers and sorcerers to your advantage... they are powerful allies which will decimate your enemies. Use your S.A.'s... they will give you the fire to overcome. In TROS, your power comes from your mind, the most potent of all weapons, not from feats or magical weapons, or from a bevy of it points to make up for poor strategy.

I really don't like the whole term "Heroic", personally. I find that a person who faces their fears and triumphs is a hero. Even those that see defeat are more heroes than those who never faced any real threat. Heroes risk it all, and in TROS you're forced to make major gambles for what you believe in and live with the consequences... that's heroism. That's why opponents in TROS will be challenging, not inferior to the PCs all of the time. Certainly, you can make "mooks" by giving the PCs a 4-6 dice advantage, but that's not my style. As a player, I <i>want</i> my opponents to be challenging. Where's the fun if there's no risk? Combat is about life and death... I want a game that feels like that. TROS feels like that. That's why I like it.

-Spartan