Re: "Steve Jackson's greatest mistakes",

[Rick <rick_ww@lightspeed.ca>]

On Jun 22, 2018, at 9:27 AM, raito@raito.com wrote:

Rick wrote:

Subject: "More of Steve Jackson’s greatest mistakes", and
Subject: "Who Is this Steve Jackson person anyway?”


Hi Jeffrey,
 Here are two examples...

ItL page 16 Steve Jackson wrote (on forgetting studies):

"…

What was SJ thinking???  (Is there a GM anywhere that
actually enforced this?)

I have, but not in the manner I think you're describing. You 'buy'
attributes with XP. So you're current XP is always less than the amount
needed for the next attribute. And you can't go below 0 XP. At least, that
the way I read it. So if you're a higher level character, you can start
changing what you know from what you needed as a low level character to
what you need as a higher-level character with less overall loss. Not so
for beginning characters.

Hi Neil, 

  Sorry, could not follow this.  But fundamentally, is losing 1,000 

experience a proportionate penalty, for making a mistake on what 

studies you picked?

Under current rules, gunpowder weapons ...

What was SJ thinking???

He was thinking that each shot only has a 1 in 6 chance of actually
firing, and that there's no other weapon that requires money to fire. Or
that you don't expose yourself to a guy with guns.

Neil Gilmore
raito@raito.com

Actually, gunpowder weapons have a 5/6 chance of firing.  (You roll 1d6 

and on a 6 exactly it does not fire.  See page 24 of AM)  If the arquebus 

had an effective range of 50 meters (far too accurate historically), then 

the goblin would get one shot, and if the weapon misfired, it would not 

have time to reload.  At 400 meters the goblin can aim for 2 turns, hope 

to get lucky, reload, aim for one turn and fire at a 16 DX, and if he 

misses, he STILL has time to reload for a third shot (at a DX 16).

This isn’t a primitive fire arm – it is acting like a modern sniper rifle.

But my main beef is giving the arquebus the +4 DX if you have Guns 

talent.  EVERY other weapon in the game, if you have the talent you go

from -4 DX (no skill) to +0 DX (competent with weapon).  For the 

Arquebus alone, you go from -4 to +4 for taking the basic level talent.

WHY???

Warm regards, Rick.