Equalizing skill effectiveness
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:22 pm
This started out as a reply to spubbbba's thread, but then I realized I was derailing it. Not sure this is a better approach. But here are my ideas for addressing the problem of skill values and the lack of diversity between teams (the "optimal build" problem).
I was not around the game until CRP so I don't have the background you guys do. But it appears as though simplicity was a major design goal. Assuming this goal is still high priority with the powers that be, granulating skill costings down to 5k increments, and creating tier costing, strikes me as countereffective. Plus I think certain skills are optimal picks on certain players, but poor selections on others, so to really cost them properly you'll have to have costings based on Team. Way too complicated imo.
Cutting back on category access helps level out rookie teams, but would exacerbate the "doubles effect", ie teams would get substantially better with some skill-roll luck. You want some of this I think, but you certainly don't want to make it worse than it already is.
I think the current problem (arguably two-fold: killer wins, and diversity sucks) can be best addressed by changing the skills themselves to bring them more in-line with one another. This means dumbing down the good ones and improving the bad ones. Dumbing down good skills would not be popular. However here are my ideas.
"Best" skills = Block, MB, PO, Guard, Claw, Dodge
"Bad" skills = Sneaky Git, Pass Block
Certain of these can be addressed but others are not so easy to correct. So:
Dodge - Split between dodging ("Evade") and defensive ("Deflect", or combine with Sure Feet).
MB - +1 to armour OR 9 on Inj=BH. Available as Extraordinary to Big Guys only. Create a new Strength skill ("Pummel") +1 to armour rolls, and a new Agility skill ("Low Blow") 9 on Inj=BH (or see Cheating, below). New skills cannot combine with MB.
PO - Carries ejection penalties (or see below)
Claw - leave as-is
Block - Split into offensive ("Block") and defensive ("Sturdy"). For example, Norse and all blitzers would get the former, Dwarves the latter.
Guard - hardest to address, but perhaps introduce an anti-Guard skill, such as (General) "Trash Talker" - If adjacent, nullifies Guard skill. Or, more radically, Guard nullifies Guard.
Sneaky Git - reroll any doubles on armour or injury when using a skill subject to ejection (except PO, which is already a reroll skill)
Pass Block - increase move to 4...? free dodges?
I'd also consider creating a new skill category called Cheating (standard access for Goblins). All uses of skills in this category carry the threat of doubles=ejection. Sneaky Git would naturally be quite useful here.
Dirty Player - +1 to armour OR 9 on Inj=BH on fouls
Piling On - note: cannot re-roll more than once, so does not combine with SG
Low Blow - 9 on Inj=BH on blocks
Shiv - as Claw
If these changes were in place, the game might need more frequent skill selection (fewer SPP between levels), and/or a larger number of potential levels per player to compensate for the lesser effectiveness of the good skills.
-Fidius
I was not around the game until CRP so I don't have the background you guys do. But it appears as though simplicity was a major design goal. Assuming this goal is still high priority with the powers that be, granulating skill costings down to 5k increments, and creating tier costing, strikes me as countereffective. Plus I think certain skills are optimal picks on certain players, but poor selections on others, so to really cost them properly you'll have to have costings based on Team. Way too complicated imo.
Cutting back on category access helps level out rookie teams, but would exacerbate the "doubles effect", ie teams would get substantially better with some skill-roll luck. You want some of this I think, but you certainly don't want to make it worse than it already is.
I think the current problem (arguably two-fold: killer wins, and diversity sucks) can be best addressed by changing the skills themselves to bring them more in-line with one another. This means dumbing down the good ones and improving the bad ones. Dumbing down good skills would not be popular. However here are my ideas.
"Best" skills = Block, MB, PO, Guard, Claw, Dodge
"Bad" skills = Sneaky Git, Pass Block
Certain of these can be addressed but others are not so easy to correct. So:
Dodge - Split between dodging ("Evade") and defensive ("Deflect", or combine with Sure Feet).
MB - +1 to armour OR 9 on Inj=BH. Available as Extraordinary to Big Guys only. Create a new Strength skill ("Pummel") +1 to armour rolls, and a new Agility skill ("Low Blow") 9 on Inj=BH (or see Cheating, below). New skills cannot combine with MB.
PO - Carries ejection penalties (or see below)
Claw - leave as-is
Block - Split into offensive ("Block") and defensive ("Sturdy"). For example, Norse and all blitzers would get the former, Dwarves the latter.
Guard - hardest to address, but perhaps introduce an anti-Guard skill, such as (General) "Trash Talker" - If adjacent, nullifies Guard skill. Or, more radically, Guard nullifies Guard.
Sneaky Git - reroll any doubles on armour or injury when using a skill subject to ejection (except PO, which is already a reroll skill)
Pass Block - increase move to 4...? free dodges?
I'd also consider creating a new skill category called Cheating (standard access for Goblins). All uses of skills in this category carry the threat of doubles=ejection. Sneaky Git would naturally be quite useful here.
Dirty Player - +1 to armour OR 9 on Inj=BH on fouls
Piling On - note: cannot re-roll more than once, so does not combine with SG
Low Blow - 9 on Inj=BH on blocks
Shiv - as Claw
If these changes were in place, the game might need more frequent skill selection (fewer SPP between levels), and/or a larger number of potential levels per player to compensate for the lesser effectiveness of the good skills.
-Fidius