Post by gammalogic on Feb 5, 2023 8:36:59 GMT
About GammaLogic: Long time lurker and fan of Project Aon. Greybeard wargamer and tournament referee from the 80s, running tables for TSR, Chaosium, Palladium, et al. Sommerlund loyalist.
Class: Sage
Alignment: Neutral Good
Now that I've committed to that ridiculous introduction, I hope it brought a smile or at least a smirk to someone who is also from that era. Let's move on to the good stuff. Warning: Lengthy post ahead, and there is no TLDR sign in sight. Despair not, intrepid adventurer, good things are in store if you can bear with me.
I've taken great delight in lurking here over the years and reading the many heated discussions concerning balance, difficulty, and what to do about what amounts to (in AD&D terms) a saving throw versus poison. I've played, examined, and created various patches for the Lone Wolf gamebook system (henceforth just "system"). I haven't shared them because they were either too similar to what someone else has proposed, or didn't hold up with extended playing. In other cases, they were entire rewrites of the system. And while those did exactly what I wanted, they propagated too far from House Rule territory into the realm of a "Second Edition." And nobody, myself included, wants that.
Now, let's be clear: There's not much we can do about the Falling Mast conundrum. They had to come up with a way to make sure readers would likely restart each book a few times and explore the different paths available. Whether it's good or bad game design has been debated with great enthusiasm and that horse is so thoroughly deceased it has since become a favorite of many necromancers who are still trying to ressurect it!
The main part of the overall problem of the system is, as has also been cussed and discussed beyond measure, is the great pendulum effect of combat encounters. While they appear to be separate problems, they can all be solved with this patch. It's necessary for me to summarize them here to define and frame the entire problem and the solution:
A. The Sommerswerd Curse
For Kai Lords with low COMBAT SKILL: Equalizes encounters in their favor.
For those with high COMBAT SKILL: Trivializes low and mid-level encounters.
A few encounters penalize the player for using it with no warning.
Some encounters are simply too frustrating without it, as they were balanced around it.
B. The Curse of the Rookie
Kai Lords beginning in Book 1 can acquire many stat boosting artifacts.
Rookies starting later in the series don't, but...
Later books in the series start new characters with higher initial stats. But that doesn't matter, because...
Some encounters might as well be labeled IMPOSSIBLE if you're not a veteran.
C. The Kai Weapon Conundrum
Artifacts are available that only approximate the SWERD in effectiveness
and only equal it in specific situations that the player must keep track of.
As if we didn't have enough to track already with healing, equipment, disciplines...
D. The Compounding Effect
All of these things add up to lots of frustration, as anyone who has perused these boards will readily see.
So what can we do about it.
Attempts, some of them pretty good, have been made to address these issues. Mongoose tried to fix some of it by adjusting enemy stats for select encounters--and it is a step in a good direction, it doesn't step in the right direction. Other stuff, like adding new weapons and so on, is another band-aid that never works. Many of the solutions found from our esteemed colleagues in the forums here work, but typically introduce new problems--which someone else tries to fix, and ad nauseum. Others, like some of my experiments, are simply rewriting the entire thing. Not ideal.
Alright, enough summarizing. The solution I present now is one I've tested in many ways. It doesn't involve changing enemy stats, nerfing the Sommerswerd, adding weapons, or any of that.
I believe in visual aids:
In case you can't see images for whatever reason:
Darklord Haakon
COMBAT SKILL 28 ENDURANCE 45
When you face an enemy, the only number you'll look at is the FIRST DIGIT of COMBAT SKILL (2 in the example).
You'll simply IGNORE the second number (8 in the example).
You'll compare it with the FIRST DIGIT of Lone Wolf's COMBAT SKILL and that will provide the COMBAT RATIO for the fight.
That is the only change involved in this patch.
Let's talk about what happens when you apply it, so you can decide if it's right for you.
A. The Sommerswerd Curse: Lifted
If you're within 8 CS of the next "level" of combat skill, you'll benefit. But you won't be overpowered.
In the dreaded "Sommerswerd screwed me!" fights, the combat ratio will still be manageable with decent luck.
Encounters balanced around assuming the SWERD is in play don't suffer nearly as much from the pendulum effect.
Rookies that didn't get the SWERD, or Veterans who lost it, won't be at a critical disadvantage in key fights.
You won't have to creatively come up with some stupid reason why Lone Wolf would leave the SWERD in safe keeping.
B. The Curse of the Rookie: Lifted
Collecting equipment and completing Lore Circles is still very helpful--but you must commit to it.
Small amounts of CS don't translate into immediate gains, until they add up to the next tier.
Later encounters will not be nearly as frustrating for new Kai Lords.
The equalizing effect of the patch translates to a smaller disparity between veterans and rookies.
C. The Kai Weapon Conundrum: De-conundrummed, or something.
They have a similar effect to the SWERD, in that they'll boost you up to the next level if your CS is within range.
However, that boost won't be nearly as critical any more.
D. The Compounding Effect: Neutralized
Enough said.
There are some trade-offs that you should be aware of if you apply my patch:
Weaker opponents continue to provide a steady challenge if luck isn't on your side.
You won't be able to one-hit KO any more.
Stronger and epic level opponents, obviously, won't be able to outclass you so hard.
Mechanically, combats will feel very similar, with differences in skill being far more subtle. This is intended.
As I said above, raising CS will require full commitment to make it past the breakpoints to higher tiers.
Concerning CS and EP
By applying the patch, Endurance can become nearly as important as Combat Skill. Consider the fight where you are outmatched, perhaps at a -2 Combat Ratio, and the dice are not cooperating. If the enemy has a high endurance, he may just survive long enough to deal the killing blow if your luck doesn't improve. Therefore, EP is no longer a throwaway stat to the exclusion of CS.
However, never again will you stare at that -11 combat ratio and think "Well, maybe I'll just start over and try to get that Helm/Shield/Whatever, because this is stupid. Or complete the Lore Circles." Then go through all of that replay to find out you still got destroyed because you didn't roll all 9's or missed it by 1 EP (Well that last one can still happen!).
It's dead simple to implement, easy to remember, requires no re-writing of sections or doing statistical analysis on the enemies in each book. Or messing with the magic items in the world. Or... fill in the blank. We may say that it isn't a perfect solution (such a solution does not exist) but that it is a perfect compromise that leaves the rest of the system in place.
Conclusion
It balances the world in favor of Lone Wolf's survival and smoother play. I invite you to give it a try, perhaps play a few books using my little patch and see what it does for you. For me and my associates who have used it, it's a wonderful update to a classic game that retains the feeling of the original while sanding away those rough edges.
Class: Sage
Alignment: Neutral Good
Now that I've committed to that ridiculous introduction, I hope it brought a smile or at least a smirk to someone who is also from that era. Let's move on to the good stuff. Warning: Lengthy post ahead, and there is no TLDR sign in sight. Despair not, intrepid adventurer, good things are in store if you can bear with me.
I've taken great delight in lurking here over the years and reading the many heated discussions concerning balance, difficulty, and what to do about what amounts to (in AD&D terms) a saving throw versus poison. I've played, examined, and created various patches for the Lone Wolf gamebook system (henceforth just "system"). I haven't shared them because they were either too similar to what someone else has proposed, or didn't hold up with extended playing. In other cases, they were entire rewrites of the system. And while those did exactly what I wanted, they propagated too far from House Rule territory into the realm of a "Second Edition." And nobody, myself included, wants that.
Now, let's be clear: There's not much we can do about the Falling Mast conundrum. They had to come up with a way to make sure readers would likely restart each book a few times and explore the different paths available. Whether it's good or bad game design has been debated with great enthusiasm and that horse is so thoroughly deceased it has since become a favorite of many necromancers who are still trying to ressurect it!
The main part of the overall problem of the system is, as has also been cussed and discussed beyond measure, is the great pendulum effect of combat encounters. While they appear to be separate problems, they can all be solved with this patch. It's necessary for me to summarize them here to define and frame the entire problem and the solution:
A. The Sommerswerd Curse
For Kai Lords with low COMBAT SKILL: Equalizes encounters in their favor.
For those with high COMBAT SKILL: Trivializes low and mid-level encounters.
A few encounters penalize the player for using it with no warning.
Some encounters are simply too frustrating without it, as they were balanced around it.
B. The Curse of the Rookie
Kai Lords beginning in Book 1 can acquire many stat boosting artifacts.
Rookies starting later in the series don't, but...
Later books in the series start new characters with higher initial stats. But that doesn't matter, because...
Some encounters might as well be labeled IMPOSSIBLE if you're not a veteran.
C. The Kai Weapon Conundrum
Artifacts are available that only approximate the SWERD in effectiveness
and only equal it in specific situations that the player must keep track of.
As if we didn't have enough to track already with healing, equipment, disciplines...
D. The Compounding Effect
All of these things add up to lots of frustration, as anyone who has perused these boards will readily see.
So what can we do about it.
Attempts, some of them pretty good, have been made to address these issues. Mongoose tried to fix some of it by adjusting enemy stats for select encounters--and it is a step in a good direction, it doesn't step in the right direction. Other stuff, like adding new weapons and so on, is another band-aid that never works. Many of the solutions found from our esteemed colleagues in the forums here work, but typically introduce new problems--which someone else tries to fix, and ad nauseum. Others, like some of my experiments, are simply rewriting the entire thing. Not ideal.
Alright, enough summarizing. The solution I present now is one I've tested in many ways. It doesn't involve changing enemy stats, nerfing the Sommerswerd, adding weapons, or any of that.
I believe in visual aids:
In case you can't see images for whatever reason:
Darklord Haakon
COMBAT SKILL 28 ENDURANCE 45
When you face an enemy, the only number you'll look at is the FIRST DIGIT of COMBAT SKILL (2 in the example).
You'll simply IGNORE the second number (8 in the example).
You'll compare it with the FIRST DIGIT of Lone Wolf's COMBAT SKILL and that will provide the COMBAT RATIO for the fight.
That is the only change involved in this patch.
Let's talk about what happens when you apply it, so you can decide if it's right for you.
A. The Sommerswerd Curse: Lifted
If you're within 8 CS of the next "level" of combat skill, you'll benefit. But you won't be overpowered.
In the dreaded "Sommerswerd screwed me!" fights, the combat ratio will still be manageable with decent luck.
Encounters balanced around assuming the SWERD is in play don't suffer nearly as much from the pendulum effect.
Rookies that didn't get the SWERD, or Veterans who lost it, won't be at a critical disadvantage in key fights.
You won't have to creatively come up with some stupid reason why Lone Wolf would leave the SWERD in safe keeping.
B. The Curse of the Rookie: Lifted
Collecting equipment and completing Lore Circles is still very helpful--but you must commit to it.
Small amounts of CS don't translate into immediate gains, until they add up to the next tier.
Later encounters will not be nearly as frustrating for new Kai Lords.
The equalizing effect of the patch translates to a smaller disparity between veterans and rookies.
C. The Kai Weapon Conundrum: De-conundrummed, or something.
They have a similar effect to the SWERD, in that they'll boost you up to the next level if your CS is within range.
However, that boost won't be nearly as critical any more.
D. The Compounding Effect: Neutralized
Enough said.
There are some trade-offs that you should be aware of if you apply my patch:
Weaker opponents continue to provide a steady challenge if luck isn't on your side.
You won't be able to one-hit KO any more.
Stronger and epic level opponents, obviously, won't be able to outclass you so hard.
Mechanically, combats will feel very similar, with differences in skill being far more subtle. This is intended.
As I said above, raising CS will require full commitment to make it past the breakpoints to higher tiers.
Concerning CS and EP
By applying the patch, Endurance can become nearly as important as Combat Skill. Consider the fight where you are outmatched, perhaps at a -2 Combat Ratio, and the dice are not cooperating. If the enemy has a high endurance, he may just survive long enough to deal the killing blow if your luck doesn't improve. Therefore, EP is no longer a throwaway stat to the exclusion of CS.
However, never again will you stare at that -11 combat ratio and think "Well, maybe I'll just start over and try to get that Helm/Shield/Whatever, because this is stupid. Or complete the Lore Circles." Then go through all of that replay to find out you still got destroyed because you didn't roll all 9's or missed it by 1 EP (Well that last one can still happen!).
It's dead simple to implement, easy to remember, requires no re-writing of sections or doing statistical analysis on the enemies in each book. Or messing with the magic items in the world. Or... fill in the blank. We may say that it isn't a perfect solution (such a solution does not exist) but that it is a perfect compromise that leaves the rest of the system in place.
Conclusion
It balances the world in favor of Lone Wolf's survival and smoother play. I invite you to give it a try, perhaps play a few books using my little patch and see what it does for you. For me and my associates who have used it, it's a wonderful update to a classic game that retains the feeling of the original while sanding away those rough edges.
