Champs Online: beta buzz

[cmdr_zoom]

What I'm hearing is that character generation is fun and has a lot of neat features to customize your character down to the smallest detail, but the actual gameplay (once you get into it) is often clunky, awkward, and downright tedious.

"So... just like classic Champions," the snarky old tabletop gamer in me says.

Comments

[ninjarat.livejournal.com]

Thing is... Champions is actually rather clean and simple when you get down to actual play. Roll 3d6 to attempt a task, roll Xd6 and subtract defense for damage. That's the gist of it. Unlike a so-called "simple" system that purports to be minimalistic with the dice like, say, Storyteller. Which would take me 30 minutes just to type a cursory description without touching any of the genre-specific customizations. Never mind Steve Long's -- yes, *that* Steve Long -- expanded combat rules book which is incompatible with the Street Fighter RPG (sigh).

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

Yes I know. But then you start counting hexes, consulting the phase chart and the manuevers table, and rolling handfuls of dice and counting pips...

[ninjarat.livejournal.com]

Yes I know. But then you start counting hexes,

Or use a measuring tape. Also, no different from D&D 3 and 4. Or any game that uses a battle mat and figures, assuming that you use them.

consulting the phase chart

Which is overall easier to manage than most games' initiative systems. Speed chart is static; initiative rolls always change the turn order. Never mind Attacks of Opportunity.... :)

and the manuevers table,

Which a) should be on your character sheet and b) something you should be doing while you're on deck.

and rolling handfuls of dice and counting pips...

And how is this different from Storyteller? Oh, 10-sided dice usually have numbers rather than pips. Well, if pips are a problem then use numbered dice. They're easy enough to find.

[brianrogers.livejournal.com]

Yup. Exactly like classic Champions. But some people apparently like that.

Of course, the world is also full of people who tell me that I should continue to drink things that I think taste crappy until I learn to overcome my natural aversion and get addicted to their contents, at which point I'll think they taste good. No, I'll stick to things that taste good *now*, thanks.