Swords Path Glory

[dervish]

Has anybody else heard of this game? Published by Leading Edge Games, it tried to accurately model the interactions between weapons, armor, and bodies by math and lots and LOTS of tables. The same company later published Phoenix Command and an  RPG based on Alien (which I haven't seen), but they never gave up their interests in accurate simulation over playability (IMO). I also always noticed that they worked hard to make high-quality books that would last and be useful if you did play their games.

I have to say, the marginalia in their publications was worth the price. Humorous comments from their playtesting times can still make me laugh even if they depict a pretty brutal world (Keystone cops meet Alien).

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

I have heard of that game. I believe that Leading Edge Games employed one or several literal rocket scientists!

[simrion]

Makes me think of the ICE Rolemaster critical hit charts.

[dervish]

I have heard of that game. I believe that Leading Edge Games employed one or several literal rocket scientists!

Yes, they did! I know that at least two of the original designers used to work at the Jet Propulsion Labs in Pasadena, CA. Unfortunately, all I ever heard about their design thoughts was third-hand.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

Aug 7, 2023 21:42:22 GMT -5 dervish said:

I have heard of that game. I believe that Leading Edge Games employed one or several literal rocket scientists!

Yes, they did! I know that at least two of the original designers used to work at the Jet Propulsion Labs in Pasadena, CA. Unfortunately, all I ever heard about their design thoughts was third-hand.

Cool!  I thought that's what I had read.  I think hearing about how a rocket scientist approaches game design would be fascinating!!

[dervish]

Their approach was originally very much of a simulation, modelling an attack by how easily it penetrated armor and how deeply it cut into various body parts before striking bone or other organs. Blunt & Edged weapons were distinct, and strength and size simply offered a scale factor that was multiplied to the initial impact before figuring out how much damage was done. Movement was on a 1/12-second scale, and tried to capture momentum - you could run fast, or you could turn fast, but you couldn't do both, much like the old pencil-and-paper game of car wars. I don't recall if your movement could be added to the damage.
Magic didn't come until their second edition (at which point all the original damage tables were shrunk by a factor of 5 or so), where they added four elemental-based (earth, air, fire, water) combat styles as well as a magic system based on the same elements.
Experience was called 'Karma', and came in fractions of a point. If your character died (it was a bloody game), that Karma value was truncated to the next lower integer and applied to the new one.

The one of the original playtesters that I know was very proud of their book, "KVISR Rocks"

[muddywater]

Aug 9, 2023 11:53:07 GMT -5 dervish said:

Their approach was originally very much of a simulation, modelling an attack by how easily it penetrated armor and how deeply it cut into various body parts before striking bone or other organs. Blunt & Edged weapons were distinct, and strength and size simply offered a scale factor that was multiplied to the initial impact before figuring out how much damage was done. Movement was on a 1/12-second scale, and tried to capture momentum - you could run fast, or you could turn fast, but you couldn't do both, much like the old pencil-and-paper game of car wars. I don't recall if your movement could be added to the damage.
Magic didn't come until their second edition (at which point all the original damage tables were shrunk by a factor of 5 or so), where they added four elemental-based (earth, air, fire, water) combat styles as well as a magic system based on the same elements.
Experience was called 'Karma', and came in fractions of a point. If your character died (it was a bloody game), that Karma value was truncated to the next lower integer and applied to the new one.

The one of the original playtesters that I know was very proud of their book, "KVISR Rocks"

Wow, that is wild.

[dervish]

I remember one of the developers talking about measuring how well boiled leather could stop a hammer or sword blow, and that they'd compared it to chain and plate. If I remember right (it's been a /lot/ of years), they tried to take into account how well the various kinds of armor dissipated the force of a blow, and reflected that in their damage tables. 

It was complex enough to seem hyperrealistic, yet sort of playable to the right kind of peole. But I loved the marginalia. All of the books were filled with humorous comments from characters in their playtests, and built to be both sturdy and convenient for players. (Well, except that first volume. It was one of those plastic spiral-bound things).

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

Mar 31, 2024 0:21:54 GMT -5 dervish said:

I remember one of the developers talking about measuring how well boiled leather could stop a hammer or sword blow, and that they'd compared it to chain and plate. If I remember right (it's been a /lot/ of years), they tried to take into account how well the various kinds of armor dissipated the force of a blow, and reflected that in their damage tables. 

It was complex enough to seem hyperrealistic, yet sort of playable to the right kind of peole. But I loved the marginalia. All of the books were filled with humorous comments from characters in their playtests, and built to be both sturdy and convenient for players. (Well, except that first volume. It was one of those plastic spiral-bound things).

Oh wow!  I still want to get a copy of Living Steel.