Complexity vs Siplicity

[Pogue Mahone]

I love all the detail we are discussing and adding to the game with Armor and Combat. On that note though, I would personally like to see the Burning Wheel game system stay as simple as possible with extra layers of detail published as seperate Burners. I would be perfectly willing to pay $20 for a Combat Burner. Even if it were relatively thin. More so for the reason that some of my players would rather play a system that has boiled combat down to its bare bones so that they can get on with roleplaying and some would have a blast with a gritty system that allowed them to plan out every intricate move of a combat in excrutiating detail.
I like the combat as abstract as possible. Like the new stuff about Contacts and Resources. It is all suggestion, allowing the details to be filled in by the story. Some of my players want to know the air speed velocity of their swallow, I mean crossbow bolt. That's my two cents. Hope everyone is voting.

[Kaare Berg]

Got to go with this.

Pogue makes an important point here. This is BW not BWROS or BWARN.

I've play tested the new defender offers location and the new armour rules, they work and they do not add more crunchyness to the system. I am also very partial to the concept of Heroic Armour.

However the concet of dividing the body up into further hit-locations sort of removes the charm. The charm which for me is embodied in the Let it Ride rule. Determining whether you hit the left pinky or the left ring-finger really dosen't add to the game, nor to the basic tenement of the ideal BW playstyle, IMO,: play your BITs.

Half leggings, remove a die. Done. same for the arms.
Favoured arm, hell you pick your location, I offer the right arm you spend to successes to move it to the left. Fine. Done.

I think that in the spirit of the Revised Edition we've become posessed by the need for change, and in our feverish desire to improve something that already works we've lost sight of the fact that BW in fact works.

This became a bit more rantish than I had desired, and I honestly belive that the difference of opinon here at this forum is like the difference between the People's Liberation Front of Judea and the Liberation Front of People's Judea. My word to the wise is simply: Do not change just to change.

Then again I'm an old reactionary fart.

[luke]

we are actually hard at work on slimming down the fat of the BW system while increasing the muscle. the new book is structured very similarly to your suggestion, pogue. There's the core mechanics, and then additional systems you can layer on top of that.

unfortunately in the slimming and toning process, some things change. however, considering the bumps that are being smoothed over, I'm certain that once you get over the shock, you'll like very much what you see.

None of the core mechanics are being changed. the resolution mechanic works brilliantly and underpins the fabric of the game. everything else is changing.

;)

kidding.
you'll see, and you'll just have to trust me until then.

-L

PS wait until you see all the new, cool LPs in the CB!!

[Thor]

Yup! I think you guys are really going to like what Luke is doing!