Words can't describe I much I am opposed to hit points when they are badly implemented in a game. When I look through a new game, the very mention of hit points (or whatever alternative name they may have in individual systems) usually puts me at unease straight away. This is usually because of flawed resource balancing; player characters can have many different resources, based on the system, such as action points, spells, mana, endurance, potions, money, or the prevalent hit points.
A game usually grinds to a halt (or at least a pause) when these resources run out, depending on how important said resource is for the continued adventuring. Of all of these, hit points are usually at the top - if they are low, characters must find a way to replenish them (which can use up other resources), and if they run out, it usually spells out the end of the line for that character. And player.
So hit points become the game's most important resource, and all other resources are geared towards protecting them, such as healing spells or health potions. Throw in what many systems do - determine the amount of hit points randomly - and you get a game where players are more concerned about conserving hit points than they are about actually playing.
Now, this can be used to great effect if the game does not deal with combat, and wants to make it very clear that every armed confrontation has to be very carefully thought about, but games like Dungeons and Dragons thrive on combat - it's chapter on combat rules is longer than that on "adventuring" rules. And this is where my dislike comes from: An all-important resource with a randomly determined amount which runs how I play.
However, after avoiding hit points for a long time, I've gotten back to thinking how to deal with them, and to come up with a design idea. And this is where games like Dragon Age helped me out: Regenerating hit points and disabling. In Dragon Age, when a character's hit points fall to zero in combat, they are not immediately killed, but only disabled - still alive, but unable to undertake any action. As long as there is still a party member with a positive amount of hit points left, there is still hope. And when the fight is won, the hit points start regenerating, and fairly quickly at that.
Why not implement something of a similar nature in PnP games? Hit points only matter when in combat - and when combat is over, they fill up to their maximum again. To this end, it is a refreshing resource, which does not require careful management, and other resources like healing spells are not wasted outside of combat. To this end, hit points really become a counter as to how long one can stay in combat while getting injured, instead of how long one can adventure before needing to rest yet again. It reduces down-time without giving characters ridiculous amounts of recources (something DnD 4E seems to have done), allowing the action to continue. And if you do need to show injuries or so, throw in a wound system and combine it with the hit points.
It works in CRPGs, it should definitely be worth a try in PnP.
Qi
A game usually grinds to a halt (or at least a pause) when these resources run out, depending on how important said resource is for the continued adventuring. Of all of these, hit points are usually at the top - if they are low, characters must find a way to replenish them (which can use up other resources), and if they run out, it usually spells out the end of the line for that character. And player.
So hit points become the game's most important resource, and all other resources are geared towards protecting them, such as healing spells or health potions. Throw in what many systems do - determine the amount of hit points randomly - and you get a game where players are more concerned about conserving hit points than they are about actually playing.
Now, this can be used to great effect if the game does not deal with combat, and wants to make it very clear that every armed confrontation has to be very carefully thought about, but games like Dungeons and Dragons thrive on combat - it's chapter on combat rules is longer than that on "adventuring" rules. And this is where my dislike comes from: An all-important resource with a randomly determined amount which runs how I play.
However, after avoiding hit points for a long time, I've gotten back to thinking how to deal with them, and to come up with a design idea. And this is where games like Dragon Age helped me out: Regenerating hit points and disabling. In Dragon Age, when a character's hit points fall to zero in combat, they are not immediately killed, but only disabled - still alive, but unable to undertake any action. As long as there is still a party member with a positive amount of hit points left, there is still hope. And when the fight is won, the hit points start regenerating, and fairly quickly at that.
Why not implement something of a similar nature in PnP games? Hit points only matter when in combat - and when combat is over, they fill up to their maximum again. To this end, it is a refreshing resource, which does not require careful management, and other resources like healing spells are not wasted outside of combat. To this end, hit points really become a counter as to how long one can stay in combat while getting injured, instead of how long one can adventure before needing to rest yet again. It reduces down-time without giving characters ridiculous amounts of recources (something DnD 4E seems to have done), allowing the action to continue. And if you do need to show injuries or so, throw in a wound system and combine it with the hit points.
It works in CRPGs, it should definitely be worth a try in PnP.
Qi
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