Using Resistances and Weaknesses

[Dustland]

I was looking at converting Freedom Force by Irrational Games ( a PC game from 2002) into a module when I realized that I've never played in nor ran a game that uses Resistances and Weaknesses as much or as effectively as FF does.

In FF, you have a limited number of damage types and most heroes and villains have at least one Weakness and one Resistance.

These are: Acid, Cold, Crushing (punching, bashing, etc), Electricity, Heat, Mental, Mystical (shadows, magic), Piercing (guns, teeth, grenades, etc), and Radiation.

While this system can become formulaic for a long running campaign (oh another ant drone? Hit it with acid!), for a short series of modules it could be fun. You spend as much time trying to figure how best to hit an opponent as you do actually attacking.

(cont)

[Dustland]

For it to work with Bash, I'd get rid of Immunities (or bump the cost way up) and make Resistance cost 1:1. Also I'd only use the Damaging Weakness option that doubles damage from a particular source.

Also, everyone must have at least one weakness. For common people, the standard human weaknesses are Mental, Radiation, and Acid with no resistances. Of course this could be changed, it's just how FF did it.

Last, every power must specify a power source from a limited list and can only be one source. Sure it may make sense for an attack to have more than one source (like a mage's fireball: mystical/heat), but for the game's sake, it must be one source.

In the game, each level/issue usually focuses on one type of opponent. Early on it's common thugs, then ice based communists, then later robots (and much more). So you find yourself early in an issue trying to figure out the best way to attack and what hero should be extremely warry of enemy's attacks.

It's cool because one issue you may be hiding from the acid spitting ants (because it's your weakness) but the next issue you may be the juggernaut that can roll through the Ice Troopers and Frost Queen.

Finally each hero should only have access to one or two power sources and the Narrator should make sure the heroes don't all take the same weaknesses/resistances. It's no fun when everyone gets creamed at the beginning of an issue because no one can take a bullet

[dugfromthearth]

most computer games have limited damage types. Asheron's Call did, WoW does.

It depends on whether you want flexibility or coherence.

[BASHMAN]

I love Freedom Force (I only had FFv3R, but I also had a TON of skins & modules for it. The best ever was "pulp fiction" which was 20s & 30s style pulp heroes. Totally worth downloading that- it's free).

Let me know how your adventure goes!