rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad

Chainsaw = melee weapon?

8 messages from 5 participants · 17 April 1995 – 21 April 1995
original thread on Google Groups

Andrew B. Kaiser

L. Scott Johnson (sjoh...@math.scarolina.edu) wrote: : kw...@cs.cornell.edu (Alan Kwan) writes: : While chainsaws aren't melee weapons in real life (they do damage based on how : that chain goes 'rond the blade, not by how hard you hit with them - using : the game mechanics of "melee" weapon.), obviously the card is flawed. No, think about it. If you're cutting a log with a chainsaw, a stronger person would cut the log faster than a weaker one. Press down on the chainsaw more, and the chain cuts deeper and harder into said log. Who would you rather have come at you with a chainsaw: 1) Pee-Wee Herman 2) Arnold Schwartzennegar

Alan Kwan

In article <1995Apr1...@omega.ntu.ac.sg> 740926...@omega.ntu.ac.sg (Damian Chang) writes: >If the chainsaw is to be corrected to a melee weapon, what about Talbot's >Chainsaw? Arghhh... I looked at my 2 Chainsaw's and 1 Shotgun in the first cards I've got, and concluded that Chainsaw /has to/ be a melee weapon ... until I heard about Talbot's. I'm confused. Maybe Chainsaw is alright and needs no fix; we just have to change the name of the /game/ to Jyhad: the Gathering (Vampire: the Ethernal Gathering for revised). -- "Live Life with Heart." Alan Kwan kw...@cs.cornell.edu

L. Scott Johnson

kw...@cs.cornell.edu (Alan Kwan) writes: >In article <1995Apr1...@omega.ntu.ac.sg> 740926...@omega.ntu.ac.sg (Damian Chang) writes: >>If the chainsaw is to be corrected to a melee weapon, what about Talbot's >>Chainsaw? >Arghhh... I looked at my 2 Chainsaw's and 1 Shotgun in the first cards >I've got, and concluded that Chainsaw /has to/ be a melee weapon ... >until I heard about Talbot's. I'm confused. >Maybe Chainsaw is alright and needs no fix; we just have to change the >name of the /game/ to Jyhad: the Gathering (Vampire: the Ethernal Gathering >for revised). While chainsaws aren't melee weapons in real life (they do damage based on how that chain goes 'rond the blade, not by how hard you hit with them - using the game mechanics of "melee" weapon.), obviously the card is flawed. Perhaps the text should be "once per round" rather than "once per combat". Making it a melee weapon brings it into play at the cost of game concept, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But once per round makes more sense for a weapon that you can't wield well (isn't balanced for fighting), opposed to a one-shot weapon like a shotgun, which really does hold only one shot (unless you have a fancy one, which Jyhad's obviously isn't). You don't have to reload a chainsaw, just get it ready to strike again. (Like an AD&D morning star, or a GURPS flail). Either way would help balance the chainsaw so that it could make a meaningful addition to a deck. L. Scott

Damian Chang

If the chainsaw is to be corrected to a melee weapon, what about Talbot's Chainsaw? Damian.

L. Scott Johnson

abka...@mtu.edu (Andrew B. Kaiser) writes: >L. Scott Johnson (sjoh...@math.scarolina.edu) wrote: >: kw...@cs.cornell.edu (Alan Kwan) writes: >: While chainsaws aren't melee weapons in real life (they do damage based on how >: that chain goes 'rond the blade, not by how hard you hit with them - using >: the game mechanics of "melee" weapon.), obviously the card is flawed. >No, think about it. If you're cutting a log with a chainsaw, a stronger person >would cut the log faster than a weaker one. Press down on the chainsaw more, >and the chain cuts deeper and harder into said log. Who would you rather have >come at you with a chainsaw: 1) Pee-Wee Herman > 2) Arnold Schwartzennegar Cutting a tree at your leisure and *swinging* a chainsaw in combat are two markedly different things. I wouldn't want either coming at me with a chainsaw. Most of the damage from a chainsaw *strike* comes from the chain. Just try dropping one of those thigs on your arm (as opposed to, say, a bastard sword, and see which one does more damage from mere gravity). Why can't Arnold use the chainsaw more than once in a combat?

Shawn Metcalf

In article <3mup6p$j...@colossus.csl.mtu.edu>, abka...@mtu.edu (Andrew B. Kaiser) wrote: > L. Scott Johnson (sjoh...@math.scarolina.edu) wrote: > : kw...@cs.cornell.edu (Alan Kwan) writes: > > : While chainsaws aren't melee weapons in real life (they do damage based on how > : that chain goes 'rond the blade, not by how hard you hit with them - using > : the game mechanics of "melee" weapon.), obviously the card is flawed. > > No, think about it. If you're cutting a log with a chainsaw, a stronger person > would cut the log faster than a weaker one. Press down on the chainsaw more, > and the chain cuts deeper and harder into said log. Who would you rather have > come at you with a chainsaw: 1) Pee-Wee Herman > 2) Arnold Schwartzennegar Well, this is true to a slight extent, but that's about it. If a vampire (or anyone else with enormous strength) were to push a chainsaw into something too hard, the chain would snap. Even us non-Arnold types can put enough pressure on a CS to make it make unpleasant grinding sounds. However, it certainly makes sense for strong vampires to do more hurtin' with a CS. It's a game, and makes sense in a game way. -- Shawn Metcalf DeadB...@aol.com CEO, Omni Gaming Products Official Licensee of the Torg Role-Playing Game

Damian Chang

:> Cutting a tree at your leisure and *swinging* a chainsaw in combat are two :> markedly different things. I wouldn't want either coming at me with a :> chainsaw. Most of the damage from a chainsaw *strike* comes from the chain. :> Just try dropping one of those thigs on your arm (as opposed to, say, :> a bastard sword, and see which one does more damage from mere gravity). :> :> Why can't Arnold use the chainsaw more than once in a combat? The original point of my question was: if chainsaw changes, will the Talbot Chainsaw follow? I'm putting game balance concerns into the equation. If the errata is to be issued for the Chainsaw, I could forsee problems whenpeople notice the TC.

L. Scott Johnson

In article <1995Apr2...@omega.ntu.ac.sg>, [ quoted text not captured ] No - TC could never be considered "Wallpaper" But this is another good excuse to use the "Once per round" fix rather than the "Melee Weapon" fix. -- ----- L. Scott Johnson (lsc...@crl.com) Graphics Specialist and Jyhad Rules' Monger