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From: req@warwick.UUCP (Russell Quin)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: MERP Criticals
Message-ID: <263@snow.warwick.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 21-Jul-85 14:20:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: snow.263
Posted: Sun Jul 21 14:20:41 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 23-Jul-85 04:58:25 EDT
References: <161@ukc.UUCP> <500@mmintl.UUCP>
Reply-To: req@warwick.UUCP (Russell Quin)
Organization: Computer Science, Warwick University, UK
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[sorry, the t key is bouncy on this tty, so there may be typos spell & I have
missed!]
In article <500@mmintl.UUCP> franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams) writes:
>In article <161@ukc.UUCP> tgm@ukc.UUCP (T.Murphy) writes:
>>	I have been playing MERP (Middle Earth Role Playing) for a short
>>time now [...]
>> After playing it I find there are *too* many criticals.
>This is all too typical of such rules, and reflects a lack of understanding
>of probability.  This relates back to the recent discussion of the Runequest
>fumble table.  The problem there isn't that it is unrealistic to hit oneself
>for max damage, but that it happens much too often.  This applies to weapons
>breakage, as well.

The MERP/Rolemaster combat system uses `criticals' in a different way to
Rolemaster:  the idea seems to be to speed up combat by reducing the number of
dice throws & table look-ups, whilst adding more detail.
The system used has a table for each weapon, showing the amount of damage for a
given armour type/dice roll combination, and, for about half of the entries, an
index into a table (the `critical table') which gives extra detail.

The combat system *IS* more vicious; it reflects the reality that if someone
hits you on the head with a mace, you are likely to die.  The result is to
shift the emphasis of the game well away from combat and towards planning &
PC/NPC interaction.
They don't have results like `hit for max damage' because the damage comes from
a table, not from a dice throw; they DO have results like `paralysed from the
neck down', and this detail is all the more pervasive when combined with the
detailed healing system.
But it does mean that anyone can be killed in one blow.  I think that it is
intentional, not simply a result of an ignorance of probability.
I agree that this takes the game away from `have fun bashingorcs', but I don't
regret that!
		- Russell
-- 
		... mcvax!ukc!warwick!req  (req@warwick.UUCP)
"How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace..."