Shawn Carpenter

I agree completely with your comparison of the two rulesets, Lemurion, and I give a hearty "Hear him! Hear him" to your final statement:

Thanks, Ian! I agree that this is an issue that doesn't merit (or benefit) from a hard-and-fast rule. There are lots of ways to approach an Ability that a player isn't getting enjoyable use from and the narrator and player should choose what works best for the situation. That sort of flexibility as both a GM and player is the main reason I love Heroquest.

For a game company to grow, its fanbase must also grow. For a fanbase to grow, fans must spend more effort finding ways to welcome newcomers than in blocking them at the gate.

Oddly enough, Aprewett, I just had something like this come up in my Gloranthan HQ game and it made me think of this thread! A hero had a running enmity with an NPC that they had sunk development points into to raise to a pretty respectable level (those Anmangarn really know how to get their hate on). The long-standing rivalry ended when the NPCs "friends" goaded him into ambushing the PC and then stood back and watched the fun. With her rival dead, the PC was left with an Ability that she'd sunk a lot of points into that no longer had any application. We discussed ways to address it and came up with these options: Transfer the hatred to the NPCs clan or bloodline (this didn't work in this instance, because the NPCs clan didn't like him anymore than the PC and the PC actually had good friends among them). Transfer the points invested from the obsolete ability to a similar ability. This didn't work for her because she'd sunk enough points in it that it would have been jarring to suddenly have another relationship plunge from the irritating to the level of bloodlust. Start a new Ability that can be traced back to the obsolete Ability. This is what we settled on. She came up with the idea that the experience had left her more resistant to provocation, so we started a new Ability (Thick Skinned) for her at 13 plus the points she'd invested in the hatred Ability. The end result is that one Ability that no longer has any real value in play has been replaced with another of equal value that the player is already having fun with - and fun is the name of the game! I'm sure there are different approaches that work better for other folks, but this sort of collaboration works well for me and my group. I hope you find this helpful!

Hi, ColoradoCthulhu! If you don't mind me asking, what are you planning to use RQ or HQ for? Or were you just curious about the differences between them?

I tend to run games where the requirements of the fiction trump rules, which is one of the reasons HQ appeals to me so much (another is that I'm lazy and I don't like wrangling stat blocks as part of my game prep). I believe a player should always be able to trade in some or all of the points they've invested in an ability that is no longer useful to them for an ability that provides more opportunity to do cool stuff. This approach seems to fit perfectly with a game system that is all about collaborative story-telling rather than carefully balanced tactical resolution. So how does an ability become obsolete? In my mind, it happens when a player goes to their GM in between sessions and says that an ability isn't as fun or useful as they thought it would be. At that point, the player and GM should put their heads together and come up with a solution. No hard and fast rules need apply. Maybe the GM allows the player to reduce the "obsolete" ability to 13 and start a new ability at 13 plus any points left over from the old ability. Maybe they just take the old ability away and allow the player a free new ability at 13. Or the points in the old ability are split between it and the new ability. I don't think there's a right answer here - each GM knows what feels right for them and their players.

Speaking as a game developer, I'd caution against letting this concern you too much. If you're focusing on a specific fanbase (anime, in your example above), the question isn't "will they buy my game and not game x?" The question is "will they buy my game before they buy game x." The market can support more than one leader. If you're not one of those leaders, remember that a small slice of pie is better than none at all (assuming that buying it is in your budget, of course).

Tekumel and Glorantha share similar fan types, I think, so cross pollination wouldn't be a bad thing.

Hunter's Mercy This is a miniature arrow with a wicked looking flint head. The shaft is made of Arrow Root and it is "fletched" with bristles of game animal fur. Cults Associated: Foundchild Knowledge Balazaring hunters (Local cult secret). History Long ago, a Balazaring runelord of Foundchild developed this charm to enable him to unerringly track wounded prey in order to put them out of their misery. The secret is now passed down to Master Hunters and other hunters sufficiently steeped in Foundchild's mysteries. Procedure The creation of this charm requires the material for its construction, which must e accomplished during the Great Hunt. The charm's creator must successfully pass a Peaceful Cut test and sacrifice 1 point of permanent Power in the process of crafting the charm. Powers When the tip of this arrow is dipped into the blood of a wounded beast and then dropped on the ground, it will point in the direction of the wounded prey. Once dipped in prey's blood, it can be dropped repeatedly to home in on the creature's location. The effect lasts until the hunted beast is slain, dies of its wounds, or the arrow is dipped in the blood of another beast. Value 500L

Yohai's Helpful Hand This is a large maul with a haft of sturdy wood inlaid with lead in a design that incorporates darkness, harmony, and fertility Runes. The head of the maul is made of lead and takes the form of a clenched troll fist. Cults Associated: Xiola Umbar Knowledge Few. History This massive weapon was forged by the Third-Eye Blue smith, Piku, as a reward for the services of Yohai Leadbite, The Very Helpful Troll. Procedure This is a one of a kind item. Piku is unlikely to create another exactly like it. Powers This maul is a normal lead maul with one exception: If the wielder scores a Special or Critical Hit against an opponent, any of their nearby allies receive healing equivalent to a Heal 3 spell. Value 1500L

Mysterious Odor Charm Description A small oval charm of fire-hardened clay. The crude image of a stink-bug has been inscribed on both sides of the charm. A hole pierces it above the image, allowing a rawhide thong to be passed through for use as a necklace or bracelet. Cults This item has no specific relationship to any cults. Knowledge Few. History An eccentric shaman known only as Darrdi-Darr wanders the Colymar Wilds, occasionally visiting local clans to trade charms he's made for supplies, information, and, preferably, favors. He will occasionally have a Mysterious Odor charm for trade. Powers By expending 1 magic point and snapping their fingers, the charm's owner can cause a mysterious (and foul) odor to emanate from a location he can see. Value 50 L if the owner wishes to sell the charm. If purchasing the charm from Darrdi-Darr, he won't accept coin as payment. He is more interested in information and personal favors than coin, although he will occasionally trade for food, furs, or unusual items that pique his interest or might be useful in the creation of another charm.

Snap-Sneeze Charm Description A small oval charm of fire-hardened clay. The crude image of a nose has been inscribed on both sides of the charm. A hole pierces it above the nose, allowing a rawhide thong to be passed through for use as a necklace or bracelet. Cults This item has no specific relationship to any cults. Knowledge Few. History An eccentric shaman known only as Darrdi-Darr wanders the Colymar Wilds, occasionally visiting local clans to trade charms he's made for supplies, information, and, preferably, favors. He will occasionally have a Snap-Sneeze charm for trade. Powers By expending 1 magic point and snapping their fingers, the charm's owner can cause one being that they can see to sneeze once, violently. Value 50 L if the owner wishes to sell the charm. If purchasing the charm from Darrdi-Darr, he won't accept coin as payment. He is more interested in information and personal favors than coin, although he will occasionally trade for food, furs, or unusual items that pique his interest or might be useful in the creation of another charm.