Delicious LiveJournal Links for 5-18-2009

[andrewducker]

• Edinburgh Takeaways
  Discussion of Edinburgers of what takeaways are worth eating at. Stored for later use.
  (tags: takeaway food Edinburgh)
• Dueling Gameplay
  An interesting model for making duelling fun.
  (tags: duelling games computer_games)
• Meditation in plain English
  It's on my to-do list, I swear...
  (tags: meditation mindfulness)

Comments

[zornhau.livejournal.com]

"Dueling Gameplay" is interesting article, but the writer doesn't seem to know what a "real" sword fight is like.

[andrewducker]

Line two of his requirements:
"We don’t want to re-create the mechanics of ACTUAL swordplay"
would seem to indicate that he's interested in recreating filmic battles rather than real combat.

[cairmen.livejournal.com]

It wasn't awful, I thought. The points about focus and stamina are very important.

[zornhau.livejournal.com]

Yes, I liked that.

Strangely, "Chivalry and Sorcery" used "fatigue" points in a similar manner.

[meihua.livejournal.com]

I've seen GMs have interesting conversations about what "hit points" represent. My favourite GM treats hit points like stamina/focus, really, rather than "how many limbs you have left". It's the only thing that makes sense if you're fighting monsters like giants - it represents you making nicks, cuts, frustrating and exhausting them until you can get in a fatal blow.

[andrewducker]

I tend to agree. Which is why losing them tends not to affect you until they're all gone - and then a single blow will take you down.

[broin.livejournal.com]

So why does a Cure Light Wounds fix hit points, if hit points aren't health?

[meihua.livejournal.com]

Well, it's not a perfect system, but my understanding is that during a battle, hit points represent this kind of attrition/stamina/focus; but after a battle, you're going to be cut, bloodied, bruised, and that curing light wounds undoes that kind of damage.

If you went into a second battle with a broken arm from the first battle, then you'd understandably have less stamina/focus to spend on that battle.

[broin.livejournal.com]

Hmm, ok.

I like the approach that hit points means something else, but I'd like it more if more of the game worked with that metaphor. Til eventually, you'd do away with weapon damage, or had social abilities that also targeted hit points/focus.

Or rather, I use games that do that, like Dogs in the Vineyard or Spirit of the Century, as D20 isn't usually satisfying for me.

[cairmen.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of meditation, but the meditation essay seemed, from a skim, to be pitching "the world is awful, we're all falling toward horrible empty depression, meditation is the only cure", which seems a bit ... excessive.

I am pretty darn tired right now, so might have misread or missed bits, but it didn't seem to be very positive about anything not meditation-focused.

[bracknellexile.livejournal.com]

Agreed - it did read like a sales pitch. I was just waiting for the "to find out more, send £49.99 to...." at the end.