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Most Lethal game System
Posted: 2003-12-08 10:14am
by Tasoth
This thread is to see which PnP Game system is so lethal that a normal round of combat can result in one or more dead characters. My vote goes for the Unisystem, I'll get to why later.
Re: Most Lethal game System
Posted: 2003-12-08 11:10am
by Graeme Dice
Tasoth wrote:This thread is to see which PnP Game system is so lethal that a normal round of combat can result in one or more dead characters. My vote goes for the Unisystem, I'll get to why later.
I'd imagine that Rolemaster is up there.
Re: Most Lethal game System
Posted: 2003-12-08 11:39am
by Faram
Graeme Dice wrote:I'd imagine that Rolemaster is up there.
I remember RM
Roll a E crit and 66, instakill on any mob!
Re: Most Lethal game System
Posted: 2003-12-08 11:41am
by Crayz9000
Faram wrote:Roll a E crit and 66, instakill on any mob!
Blessed +5 gas grenades?
Posted: 2003-12-09 02:59am
by Thunderfire
GURPS can be really deadly. Characters have around 10-15 HP and
a G3 rifle does 7d6 damage per hit.
Posted: 2003-12-09 07:24am
by weemadando
Legend of the Five Rings.
Lets face it, during the creation process for the game they consulted with various people on period weaponry, and a quote from one of those sessions:
"So how many times would you have to hit me with that to kill me."
"Just once."
And the combat system developed from there...
Re: Most Lethal game System
Posted: 2003-12-09 05:56pm
by Hendrake
Faram wrote:Graeme Dice wrote:I'd imagine that Rolemaster is up there.
I remember RM
Roll a E crit and 66, instakill on any mob!
No, it isn't. Even with an 'E' critical, you only have 16% chance of dying. (86-00 and 66). Spacemaster is far worse since getting an E crit is 100% getting maimed and abut 26% dying (75-00 and 66 but it varies more with critical types)
Chivalry and Sorcery: A lucky blow can be the end of you, as is a good placed spell.
Unknown Armies is good with mortality, but having a D100 basis on both hits and body values, it's very much up to chance.
SLA Industries: with a shot to the head you're done.
Paranoia: Need I say more? You have got 6 lives and most don't get through 1 game session.
Call of Chtulu: The Basic system is not very lethal, but what you are up against is (though mostly is sanity at risk...) The D20 version is far less lethal.
And of course the Italian RPG Elish is VERY lethal (everyone who isn't dead during the session dies at the end), as is Puppetland, but these are VERY obscure RPGs.
Posted: 2003-12-09 06:35pm
by SirNitram
Oh come, does there need to be a thread?
Paranoia.
Posted: 2003-12-09 07:05pm
by Arthur_Tuxedo
While not THE most lethal system, Tensided has to be up there. Here's a recent excerpt from the SDN campaign to show you what I mean:
This could happen to a player wrote:
DF: 20
Adj AT: 18
Final roll: 26
MoS: 6
5 shots hit
General locations: 3 x body, 1 x arm, 1 x head
Spec. body locations: R. clavicle, L. torso, heart
Damages: 12 (r. arm perm. useless), 8 (incapacitation), 9 (instant death)
Specific arm location: R. elbow
Damage: 16 (r. arm severed at elbow)
Specific head location: L. ear
Damage: 13 (L. ear severed)
The night is lit up in a loud and spectacular manner as Dirk opens up with his beefy automatic rifle. Steel core 30-06 bullets pour from the barrel of the 15 lbs rifle at 600 rpm. Most people could not control the recoil effectively, but Dirk's grafted arm gives him more strength than most soldiers had when the gun was still being made. Half the shots from the ten shot burst hit. The first staggers the unfortunate victim backward as it destroys his collerbone. The second catches him in the torso and erupts out his back in a spray of blood. The third rips his heart to pieces, killing him instantly, but before his lifeless body has a chance to hit the ground, the fourth and fifth rounds sever half his arm and his ear, right through his helmet.
Posted: 2003-12-09 07:14pm
by weemadando
SirNitram wrote:Oh come, does there need to be a thread?
Paranoia.
"You're teeth aren't clean comrade..."
"Wha- aAAAAAAAAARGH!"
*activates another clone*
Silhoutte
Posted: 2003-12-09 07:39pm
by Marcao
My vote goes for Dream Pod 9's Silhoutte system. A system were you have to respect a firearm of -any- caliber. The average human being in the system (with a 0 in build and fitness) has a measly 25 stamina. A 9mm round has an average damage multiplier of 18. In essence, three margins of successes (54 dmg) and you are quite, quite dead. Silhoutte scares the hell out of me in combat, but it is great fun. It gets my vote for the most lethal system I know of.
Posted: 2003-12-09 08:05pm
by Alyeska
Most lethal computer system I saw was when a guy sealed up every opening to his computer, filled it entirely with water, then tried turning it on...
Posted: 2003-12-10 07:09am
by Thunderfire
Most hits in GURPS will take you out of combat. A hit in the right location
has a good chance to kill you instantly.
Posted: 2003-12-10 07:25am
by dworkin
Traveller
You could die during character generation.
Posted: 2003-12-10 05:01pm
by DPDarkPrimus
dworkin wrote:Traveller
You could die during character generation.
Lol! WTF?
Posted: 2003-12-10 05:22pm
by LadyTevar
DPDarkPrimus wrote:dworkin wrote:Traveller
You could die during character generation.
Lol! WTF?
It's true. They have you rolling up your whole life's story up to the point you start playing your character.
Posted: 2003-12-10 06:22pm
by weemadando
weemadando wrote:Legend of the Five Rings.
Lets face it, during the creation process for the game they consulted with various people on period weaponry, and a quote from one of those sessions:
"So how many times would you have to hit me with that to kill me."
"Just once."
And the combat system developed from there...
Sorry, the quote was:
"How many times can you hit me in a five second combat round."
" I just have to hit you once."
Its one reason I always laugh at people who take Bushi in an L5R game.
Posted: 2003-12-10 06:44pm
by Arthur_Tuxedo
What's Bushi?
Posted: 2003-12-10 06:56pm
by weemadando
Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:What's Bushi?
A warrior class. Effectively a combat-centred samurai.
I generally take courtiers or if I am truly insane, a duellist.
Though I am looking at creating a Hattori Death-seeker Samurai-ko. That should be fun. I might even last a whole half session.
Posted: 2003-12-10 07:00pm
by Slartibartfast
"You had a horrible accident. You lose 10 DEX. You can try to get it back by performing an INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS SURGERY! Do you do it?"
Yes
"You DIED! You SUCK AT THIS GAME!"
from the computer MegaTraveller game character generation screen.
Posted: 2003-12-10 08:58pm
by SAMAS
Rifts, if you forget body armor.
Posted: 2003-12-10 09:32pm
by weemadando
SAMAS wrote:Rifts, if you forget body armor. :mrgreen:
Great, you had to say it, now we're going to get Slartibartfast and the other anti-RIFTS fanboys swarming this thread.
Speaking of which, I have to get going soon, so my Fennodi Justice Ranger can lay the smack down on that damn dog-boy that sold us out to the Vampires.
Posted: 2003-12-10 09:36pm
by SirNitram
I never got the point of RIFTS. Are we supposed to just go ooo and ahhh over the MDC nonsense?
Posted: 2003-12-10 09:39pm
by weemadando
SirNitram wrote:I never got the point of RIFTS. Are we supposed to just go ooo and ahhh over the MDC nonsense?
No. The system is strange, and probably silly too... But you get over that. With a decent GM its fantastic because well, there a really no limits on what you can be, and with a good GM, they can handle that fact and work it properly.
Its not the best system ever, but its not nearly as bad as most people say.
Posted: 2003-12-10 09:41pm
by SirNitram
weemadando wrote:SirNitram wrote:I never got the point of RIFTS. Are we supposed to just go ooo and ahhh over the MDC nonsense?
No. The system is strange, and probably silly too... But you get over that. With a decent GM its fantastic because well, there a really no limits on what you can be, and with a good GM, they can handle that fact and work it properly.
Its not the best system ever, but its not nearly as bad as most people say.
I've never heard anyone else talk about it, really. Unless you count the brief fanwanking one of it's forces got in the Fantasy forum.
Somewhere around where I saw a description of an MDC pistol I realized there was something seriously retarded with the system. The excuse for the over-the-top violence of the examples for it's damage on non-MDC targets was that it was for shooting massive, armoured targets.
If you have a handheld pistol that can bring down large armoured targets, and you're still building the large, armoured targets, the system has very little thought behind it.