Ironclaw
It's been more than a month since I joined the weekly Ironclaw session. Overall, I enjoyed it very much. Here are my thoughts:
(1) There is a variety of social skills, which opens up a whole new possibility of gaming style. Thank goodness Ban chose to have a balance between combat and social encounters, which means that the players get to explore Ironclaw in a holistic manner.
(2) The lack of hit points and, to a lesser extent, mana points is totally new to me since all the PC games I've played so far (except for Baldur's Gate) have these features. The former is dealt with by having 'status' (e.g. hurt, afraid, injured etc) and 'soak' dice. The latter is dealt with by having 'gifts' (aka combat spells/skills) that can be refreshed (and thus be used again) during battle, after at least 8 hours of rest, after the end of the 'chapter' or based on other special conditions.
(3) Also, there's no concept of 'level' here. Hence, there is nothing e.g. equipments, spells etc that are dependent on level. Anyone can use any equipment although some are better at it than others. Some spells have prerequisites e.g. must have certain kind of gifts before getting them.
(3) Dice values are not stackable. Each die is a potential 'success'. Hence, increase in the dice size as well as number of dice both help.
(4) Uses lots of creativity and imagination, especially when investigating.
(5) The characters are animal-based! Hence, that can potentially create some intriguing/quirky species-career combinations.
The fact that I'm learning a new game is good for my cognitive function. What also helps is the need for creativity/imagination, managing my character's development (e.g. should I take Fast Talk to help my negotiation skill or take Sunburts to help my combat) and of course social interaction, especially with new people. As with any social setting, there's inevitably conflict but luckily it's been manageable. Overall, we get along quite well so far *cross fingers*.
The last 2 sessions have been quite disappointing to me. I thought about it at length and has decided on certain steps to take (e.g. playing true to my character's personality and motto) to hopefully minimise acrimonious exchanges.
Here's to more fun!
PS: My first purchase of multi-sided dice.
(1) There is a variety of social skills, which opens up a whole new possibility of gaming style. Thank goodness Ban chose to have a balance between combat and social encounters, which means that the players get to explore Ironclaw in a holistic manner.
(2) The lack of hit points and, to a lesser extent, mana points is totally new to me since all the PC games I've played so far (except for Baldur's Gate) have these features. The former is dealt with by having 'status' (e.g. hurt, afraid, injured etc) and 'soak' dice. The latter is dealt with by having 'gifts' (aka combat spells/skills) that can be refreshed (and thus be used again) during battle, after at least 8 hours of rest, after the end of the 'chapter' or based on other special conditions.
(3) Also, there's no concept of 'level' here. Hence, there is nothing e.g. equipments, spells etc that are dependent on level. Anyone can use any equipment although some are better at it than others. Some spells have prerequisites e.g. must have certain kind of gifts before getting them.
(3) Dice values are not stackable. Each die is a potential 'success'. Hence, increase in the dice size as well as number of dice both help.
(4) Uses lots of creativity and imagination, especially when investigating.
(5) The characters are animal-based! Hence, that can potentially create some intriguing/quirky species-career combinations.
The fact that I'm learning a new game is good for my cognitive function. What also helps is the need for creativity/imagination, managing my character's development (e.g. should I take Fast Talk to help my negotiation skill or take Sunburts to help my combat) and of course social interaction, especially with new people. As with any social setting, there's inevitably conflict but luckily it's been manageable. Overall, we get along quite well so far *cross fingers*.
The last 2 sessions have been quite disappointing to me. I thought about it at length and has decided on certain steps to take (e.g. playing true to my character's personality and motto) to hopefully minimise acrimonious exchanges.
Here's to more fun!
PS: My first purchase of multi-sided dice.
Comments
Oh, really? What games did you play?