Re: [Epic] more thoughts on Epic40K

From: LURKER <lurker_at_...>
Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 11:43:47 -0400 (EDT)

At 12:10 AM 5/23/97 +0100, you wrote:
>
>There's nothing wrong with D6s. Used properly by the rulesmakers, they
>can give a wide range of possibilities. I think that there have been
>people put off games because of oddly shaped dice, associating them with
>the anorak-wearing role-players.
>
>I suppose this must be why the Yanks prefer American football to
>Association Football (soccer) - the oddly-shaped ball is clearly
>demonstrative of a superior, serious game for the over 12s. (Please
>don't remind me that rugby players also have oddly-shaped balls -
>remember, with the scrums and rucks in that game, it's surprising that
>only their balls are a funny shape.)
>
>Richard
>
>
Personally I perfer Association Football because the ball is covered in
black and white hexagons and if punctured can be spread out and used as
make-shift map for gaming purposes. I don't recommend doing this unless
it is your ball or you can run faster than anyone on the soccer team :)

Having played many games over the years I have extensive experiance with
the use of all sorts of dice from the 2 sided (it's called a penny) all
the way up to a D100 (A failure because the faces were so small it was
almost impossible to read - Perhaps if they had made it as big as a
soccer ball...?) and I am of the opinion that the D10 is more versatile
than a D6. When there are a small number of modifiers or possibilities
use one (increments are 10% as opposed to 16.5% on D6) and if there is a
large number of possibilities (Big chart) or a greater range of modifiers
required (minor=5%, average=10%, major=15, 20% or more) you roll 2 (one been
the 10's column, the other been the 1's column. It is also metric which is
trendy and the way of the future!

My orginal post (the first paragraph was serious,the 2nd was silly but generated
more interest) was in response to Andy Skinners good attempt at creating a
more detailed alternate set of rules for FP resolution in which he quickly
ran into problems due to the limitations of the D6.

EPIC is in fact a fairly complex game with a lot of variables and special rules
and tries to cover everything from pistol to gutbuster fire on a D6. I just
don't
think the D6 cuts it! The D10/percentile is much more flexible and leaves a lot
of room for homegrown modifications for those who would like to add another
layer
of detail to the game (and a lot of people on this list do try out of love
for the
game)

I have also read a number of posts over the last year where players have
complained
about battles been won and lost on the luck of a die roll rather than bad
strategy,
the smaller the die, the greater the luck factor (eg: likelyhood of rolling
a one)
I think everyone has played someone who can roll just what they want on a D6
with
frightening and demoralizing regularity

I also find that having to roll bags full of dice to resolve hits, then bags
full
more to resolve "saving throws" (another hang-over from Anorka clad RPG'ers as
well as their innumerable multi-sided and oddly shaped dice. I must point
out that
the D6 is their favorite, preferrably bags full of them when they hit
something)when
companies and detatchments exchange fire really slows the game down a lot.
Maybe it
would be better to have a combat matrix chart where you add up the number of
shots,
find the column ,cross index it with the armor rating and then either
resolve it with
stastical damage(like some miniatures rules) or a single die roll to get the
number
of kills\hits. Statistical damage would eliminate luck and reward strategy
but luckey
people with no strategy would probably not like this.

In regards to the comment "I think there have been people put off games
because of
oddly shaped dice...". I asked my wife and some adult friends ,none of which
play
EPIC, who were over visiting last night ,what would put them off more...
 1) Having to roll my 100 sided soccer ball sized die (acturally it used to
be a soccer ball) or...
 2) Play with my MEGA-GARGANT on the dining room table while I describe what
it could do if one was turned loose in our neighborhood and the rules to
simulate this.

Needless to say they absent-mindedly rolled my homemade D100 around on the
floor with
their feet while watching the men in white place me in the back of their
nice white van. Although the nice men in white did take my MEGA-GARGANT off
me ,they didn't seem interested in learning to play EPIC either. So I would
have to conclude that the person who said " P.S. I don't think it's how many
sides the dice have that weirds
                  people out...I think its a lot toy painted soldiers
(GROAN) been
                  enthusiastically pushed around a big table accompanied by lots
                  of jargon..."
said it best. Nuff said, got to go lay on the couch now...


You stay here and make sure HE doesn't leave the room...

                 LURKER
Received on Fri May 23 1997 - 15:43:47 UTC