Post originally by arcady at 2004-08-25 13:00:14
Converted from Phorums BB System

That's easy: They look over complex and full of math.

Take the one on page 175 for the Giant's Strength for example. There's a lot of stuff there for many people would say 'well, you drink it and you get strong'.

Or perhaps, the cuff on page 145.

But even the writeup of the Long Pike on page 141. "Why do I need to know it has stretching, with only damage but no non-combat?" is the likely answer from a non Hero player. "Just tell me it can reach into the next space."

If Hero thinking is normal to you, or the terminology is natural, you can breeze through those entries without a second thought.

But if Hero is new to you, they're going to confuse. Especially the last one - "it's a weapon, not a super power, so why is it written up like a power?" -- That's ahow a non-Hero player is likely to respond to it. Nevermind that elsewhere in the text it is written up like a weapon (page 329, as Pole Arm).

Hero shows what's under the skin too often, in place where frankly, to new people beauty is skin deep.

Showing the meta-system behind the system to early on to a reader, or in too easy to get to a spot can really make it look 'un-fun'.

No player wants to think they need to know or remember all those arcane details of that Long Pike - they just want to know the to-hit bonus, the damage, the reach, and any special combat bonuses they can get with it.


The book is written for experts.

Sidekick attempts to be written for novices, but at times it has those sidebars as well. For a novice, you really don't want to peel off the skin...