Sorrow in Haven, V2 update

Since the last post we've been rocking out, but I haven't been posting.  Mostly because I'm a bit lazy about updating the blog. We've been playing with the current set of Sorrow in Haven rules for about a year - most of the changes and updates have been fairly minor. Nonetheless, with play-testing comes more revelations: things that appeared to work but are actually broken under special circumstances, mechanics that don't fit or over complicated, and stuff that just doesn't work.

Rules Stuff
Some of the changes made it into the book but have been further revised.  For example: Initiative.

First up, Initiative is a Ranked Action Roll. This means everyone rolls 2d6+INIT. Pretty straight forward so far. To make this work with the combat count system is as follows.

• The highest roll has a combat count of 0.
• Everyone else has a combat count of the highest roll - their roll,
• Until your combat count comes up, you are surprised. If forced into an Action Roll (like a Defense roll) your combat count is now the next count (defend on count 3, you get to start acting on count 4).

Artwork by Alex Mayo

This works out pretty great! Surprised targets often get dorked up before they can act (which is exactly the idea), but characters with ranged attacks have a bit of an issue.  So, for V2 here are the engagement rules ...

• When a character engages in a melee within a combat for the first time, they may immediately make an attack (same as the old rules).
• When a character is no longer surprised they may immediately make a ranged attack against surprised targets. If a target is not surprised, the character must aim first (weapon speed). [Old rule: always wait your weapon speed for a ranged attack]. 
• Once a character has acted, ranged, melee, magic, whatever, in a combat situation, all actions require the action speed before it can be attempted. In other words, if you shoot some enemies with a crossbow, then switch to a melee weapon, you have to wait the entire weapon speed before making the actual attack roll. [this was previously a bit nebulous]

This makes ranged weapons, especially those musketoons and pistols, a bit more enjoyable to bring into a fight. Black powder explosions and curls of thick black smoke really add some flair to things.

The rules for casting arcane spells had a major overhaul. The old system works, the new system works better. In short, the aspects when building a spell were tweaked - both the categories and the costs.  Rules to include selective targeting, conditional effects, and stacking effects also got added in. The "Give a Little More" rule was replaced with the "Pact of Blood".  This had a lot to do with how the critical and legendary results were changed.

First, the original rules:

• Roll double your opponent, get a critical success
• Roll triple and that is a legendary

That worked GREAT right up to the point where both parties had positive modifiers ... like when casting spells.  Critical and Legendary results because nearly IMPOSSIBLE to achieve. SO then It got fixed up like this:

• Check is higher than Save, Success
• Check is 5 higher than Save, Critical Success
• Check is 8 higher than Save, Legendary Success
• Check is at least 5 less than Save, Critical Failure
• Check is at least 8 less than Save, Legendary Failure

I like the math, it is easier for players to do quickly, and the chances are based on the difference in modifiers, which is much closer to what I had initially envisioned. 

Flavor Stuff
I'm also taking this rewrite to add more implied background and setting to everything. The Setting chapter is longer by 50% (but still just 6 pages), backgrounds are getting revised and expanded a bit, but I'm also adding a subtable on each class for a little 'extra'.  For example, your character is a templar, fine, but what order do they belong to? Roll a d6  ... and ah! I see you were initiated into the Order of Saint Blün. Most prestigious. These don't have any mechanical effect on play, but add a little something else for the players to latch onto.

Artwork by Alex Mayo

Players also roll for where their character grew up - a d100 table that lists all of the districts of Haven. I'm also working on a table or perhaps series of tables (one for each district) for your personal reputation back home.  This is totally optional, of course, but adds some fun. Speaking of fun, each district is getting a write-up and notes that will be included. more on this later of course.

All in all I'm focusing on both expanding the rule and simplifying them plus adding more setting content to play with. Haven is a vibrant place!  I want players to feel at ease with the rules and have things to hang their hats on, little bits they can grab and run with to tell more and exciting stories. I like the idea of having a solid framework from which players and GMs can work together to create a collaborative setting experience, but not some straight up story-game bullshit.

Once thing I need to do sooner rather than later, though, is find or create a tavern name generator. If there is one more tavern with body parts in the name I'm going to lose it: Hog's Nipple, Naga's Titty, Bishop's Arse, Bishop's Finger, and so on.  Ya'll are filthy.