I'm okay with this set-up, though I'd be okay with sucky PCs as well. The problem is in the execution. Rolling an 01-25 for any stat nets you a whopping +25 bonus, turning the roll into a 26 through 50. But rolling a 26-50 gets you a +15. So someone who rolled a 26 ends up with the result of a 41, while someone who rolled lower can end up with a 42 or higher. That's arbitrary, unfair and dumb. And I hate having extra unnecessary steps in chargen. It makes me feel bad when I slaughter the PCs. The solution is to sit down and write separate charts for the PC-types only.
SPEED
01-10 Above Average +2
11-35 Quick +4
36-55 Very Quick +6
56-75 Fast +9
76-85 Very Fast +12
86-95 Lightning +15
96 Greased Lightning +18
97 Greased Lightning +19
98 Greased Lightning +20
99 Greased Lightning +21
00 Greased Lightning +22
ACCURACY (roll one for GUNS and once for THROWING)
01-10  Average +0
11-35  Above Average +2
36-55  Fair +5
56-65  Good +7
66-80  Very Good +10
81-95  Excellent +15
96-98  Crack Shot +18
99-00  Deadeye +20
STRENGTH
01-15  Average 13
16-45  Above Average 14
46-65  Sturdy 15
66-78  Hardy 16
79-85  Strong 17
86-95  Very Strong 18
96-98  Powerful 19
99-00  Mighty 20
BRAVERY
01-10  Average +0  +0
11-55  Above Average +1  +3
56-75  Brave +2  +6
76-85  Very Brave +3  +10
86-98  Fearless +4  +15 
99-00  Foolhardy +5  +15
EXPERIENCE
01-10  No Experience -10
11-40  One Gunfight -5
41-60  Two Gunfights -5
61-75  Three Gunfights +0
76-85  Four Gunfights +0
86-91  Five Gunfights +2
92-95  Six Gunfights +2
96  Seven Gunfights +6
97  Eight Gunfights +6
98  Nine Gunfights +8
99  Ten Gunfights +8
00  You Done Lost Track +10
As you can see, the stat mods in Boot Hill can jump around.  Apparently surviving that seventh gunfight is a big deal, but the difference between Fearless and Foolhardy is minimal.  I'm tempted to smooth them out a bit with some intermediary results but that would produce some egregiously long charts.  I like giving players brief chargen handouts, not vast sheafs of overwrought charts.  I keep the overwrought charts behind the screen.

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Being the lazy sort, instead of working up new charts for the PCs, I would just let them flip the one's and ten's dice during character creation so as to give them higher rolls (i.e. if you rolled a 35 on Strength or whatever, it now becomes a 53). That said, I don't have the original charts accessible at the moment, so I'm not certain how much of a difference that would make.
ReplyDeleteNot bad...this was once a pet peeve of mine as well, but I learned to just accept it. While your charts are good for PCs, it has the side-effect that now you have TWO different set-ups for chargen...one for PCs and one for NPCs. I think the original method (arbitrary weirdness aside) was more efficient.
ReplyDeleteStill...nice work.
: )
I think the method of adding a set amount for low rolls was standard practice at TSR at a particular point. It was in Gangbusters and the free game Crimefighters.
ReplyDeleteI think the method of adding a set amount for low rolls was standard practice at TSR at a particular point. It was in Gangbusters and the free game Crimefighters.
ReplyDeleteI believe it was also used in 1st ed Top Secret, although I may be wrong.
And Star Frontiers.
ReplyDelete