The rule is this: if you hit, you may roll again. The two shot limit was removed.
The game balance impact of this is to improve the Sling. It can kill deadly animals like Wolves and Bear that it could only previously fend off, or needed to be combined with another weapon.
Let's revisit the basics before looking at the odds behind each weapon. Here are the odds of rolling at least the given number on three six-sided dice:
# | Odds |
---|---|
7 | 91% |
8 | 84% |
9 | 74% |
10 | 63% |
11 | 50% |
12 | 38% |
These are the animals we're hunting, and the damage required to kill each.
Animal | Damage |
---|---|
Squirrel | 1 |
Rabbit | 1 |
Deer | 2 |
Boar | 3 |
Wolf | 3 |
Bear | 4 |
Now let's look at each weapon and weapon combo, how much damage they do, and the odds of hitting multiple times. Note that there's no need to hit more times than required to kill a bear, and weapon combinations assume hitting with both.
Weapon / Combo
| Damage | Roll | Hit | x2 Hits | x3 | x4 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sling | 1 | 9 | 74% | 55% | 41% | 30% |
Bow | 2 | 7 | 91% | 83% | ||
Spear | 3 | 11 | 50% | 25% | ||
Atlatl | 4 | 8 | 84% | |||
Club | 4 | 12 | 38% | |||
Bow+Sling (+Sling) | 3 (4) | 7, 9 (9) | 67% | 50% (Sling x2) | ||
Spear+Sling | 4 | 11, 9 | 37% |
Finally, the cost in points (players currently start with 5 points worth of equipment).
Weapon / Combo | Cost |
---|---|
Sling | 2 |
Bow | 6 (Arrows free) |
Spear | 2 |
Atlatl | 5 (Spear required) |
Club | 1 |
Sling+Bow | 8 |
Sling+Spear | 4 |
Now, let's say I like how fun it is for someone wielding a Sling to be able to brave the odds and take on a deadly animal, or more hilariously for everyone else, attempt it and die trying. In that case the Spear and Club start looking a little sad by comparison. It doesn't make thematic sense to increase the price of the Sling. Let's try improving the Spear and Club. Conveniently, nothing is new set at a 10 (63%), so we can slide those both down by 1.
Weapon / Combo
|
Roll
| Hit | x2 Hits | x3 | x4 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sling | 9 | 74% | 55% | 41% | 30% |
Bow | 7 | 91% | 83% | ||
Spear | 10 | 63% | 40% | ||
Atlatl | 8 | 84% | |||
Club | 11 | 50% | |||
Bow+Sling(+Sling) | 7, 9 (9) | 67% | 50% (Sling x2) | ||
Spear+Sling | 10, 9 | 47% |
Update: some other ideas that came up in conversation with playtester Kris Davidsohn. One is that the Atlatl may be slipping now, since the ammunition is so expensive. It could go down to 4. I'm also considering dropping the starting points down to 4. Another mechanism to play with for spears and arrows is only discarding them when you miss, or when you hit (missing is already really bad in this game, especially if you don't die).
Hey Nils, with a cost like that, the Atlatl should be the weapon with the percentage that hits the most. Just takes time to set up, so only one shot per turn instead of two. However, you've got the Atlatl coming in behind the Bow. Maybe those two should be exchanged in the table for the roll. So, the Bow gets a roll of 8 and the Atlatl gets the 7. Otherwise, it begins to make less sense to pay the cost to obtain an Atlatl and Spear.
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