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7/01/2019 9:44 am  #1


First session of Mythic Edition feedback and questions

Last night we played our first session of BoL Mythic Edition in my local sword & sorcery group I'm running.  We had been playing Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea 2nd. Edition for 3 sessions prior to this one and I could tell my players were not totally clicking with that game and some were struggling with the rules a tad.  We made the decision to switch to BoL Mythic for a couple of sessions and see what we think.

I previously ran BoL Legendary Edition for quite some time in various campaigns online and ran a very successful Hyborian Age Conan game using it back then.  I even wrote a Races of the Hyborian Age game supplement for it where I translated all the races from the Conan setting from the Mongoose Conan RPG into BoL Legendary Edition that was very popular.

We played from 8-ish in the evening till after 1 am and had an absolute blast.  Everyone loved it and wants to continue playing it, supplanting Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea 2nd. Edition as our sword & sorcery game of choice.  Even the guy that was skeptical about liking the game loved it and wants to continue playing.  He rolled a Mighty Success and then upgraded it with a Hero Point to a Legendary Success and then chose "Rabble Slayer" and took out 8 bad guys at once! This actually happened twice in the game because my NPC character I am running with the party had the exact same thing happen in the last climactic battle of the night and took out 8 bad guys himself as well.

I do have a few rules questions I would like to make sure I am totally clear on though.  These are things that were debated a bit during the session.

1) When using Rabble Slayer to kill multiple rabble when you have a Legendary Success do you have to be in range of the rabble to kill them all? In the instance where my NPC killed 8 rabble like this he was technically only within melee range on one of them...he would have had to move to the rest of the pack to kill the rest and be in range with his sword.  One of my players argued that since the rules do not mention having to be in range for this ability that it just happens and you can just explain it cinematically.

2) This same afore-mentioned player from question 1 was playing Beastmaster character and has the Beast-Friend boon.  He used these during the epic final battle of the night to try to charm 2 very large sized beasts that the group had to fight....2 enraged Jemadars (pg 112 of the core rulebook.)  He was able to calm one despite us being in combat with it and was even able to convince it to jump into the crowd of the gladiatorial coliseum they were fighting in and attack bystanders and guards.  I gave him a -4 penalty to do this because it is so large and tough and was enraged/in combat but he was still able to do all these things to it.  This made me afraid we were making the Beast Friend boon + Beastmaster career too powerful and was taking to extremes beyond its intended scope.  It made him feel like he was actually using magic instead of being just really good with beasts.

3) Is there a limit to how many Hero Points can be spent at one time in one turn by a single player?

What do you all think?

 

7/01/2019 11:05 am  #2


Re: First session of Mythic Edition feedback and questions

I was sceptical that a new edition was needed when Mythic came out, but bought it as I loved BoL and had run a very successful long-term Legendary edition game. A read though didn't inspire me that much - and then I ran it and realised what a superb 'upgrade' Mythic was!! So pleased that you and your group are enjoying it.

As Simon says, the rules don't cover everything and you may need to interpret some things for yourself, so what works for your table is the way to go - there is no right answer. But here are my thoughts.

Rabble Slayer gets a lot of use! The rules say that the number of Rabble taken out are not necessarily all dead, but have run away/are cowering/hiding and are out of the fight for good. However my wife insists that when she uses it, all those swine are dead, dead, DEAD!! Personally I think that this Boon simulates that bit in a Conan tale when he goes crazy and slaughters everyone in sight, so yes, they are all dead or dying and also distance doesn't matter - the PC will rush across the room or immediate area and put them all down without mercy.

I do think the Beastmaster interpretation is a bit generous. If you are fighting something, you can't establish rapport with it. If it's advancing growling and clearly getting ready to attack, I'd think that it could be 'charmed' if the Breastmaster made no aggressive body language and spoke soothingly. Otherwise, yeah, it's magic. 


My real name is Steve Hall
 

7/01/2019 11:07 am  #3


Re: First session of Mythic Edition feedback and questions

Oh, and I usually only allow 1 point to be spent in one turn. I can't see why anyone would need to spend more - but it's really up to the GM. Perhaps you can provide an example of what occurred during your game?


My real name is Steve Hall
 

7/01/2019 11:06 pm  #4


Re: First session of Mythic Edition feedback and questions

Glad the game went well. I knew it would!

I concur with GF. Interpret the rabble killer however most makes sense, but I always recommend not robbing a player when he gets a heroic or legendary success. Those always create a big reaction at the table and help with the sword & sorcery vibe.

However, with Heroic Points, I put no limits on their use. If a player wants to blow them all at once to be heroic, that’s what they’re for! Let them be badasses. There will certainly be harrowing situations later when they might wish they had them. Be aware that the more players there are, the more heroic points are in play. More players should = more encounters and more danger to balance those points.

Let the beast-master situation be a lesson for everyone. From now on, keep results in the realm of the reasonable.

Again, sounds like an awesome game was had. By Hurm, keep us updated if you stick with the game!

 

7/02/2019 10:26 pm  #5


Re: First session of Mythic Edition feedback and questions

Any other thoughts?

If Simon is watching I would love to see his thoughts as well.

     Thread Starter
 

7/05/2019 10:51 am  #6


Re: First session of Mythic Edition feedback and questions

I'm glad the session went off well and your group became converts.


Where's my axe?
 

7/09/2019 6:17 am  #7


Re: First session of Mythic Edition feedback and questions

Sounds like a great time, glad your group had fun with BoL!  Others have made good points regarding your questions, but here's my take:

1. Rabble Slayer: I'm actually not a huge fan of RS, and don't use Rabble very much in my games -- most "mooks" are Toughs, with only the lowest, most useless being Rabble.  That said, GF's advice is spot-on.

2. Beast Friend: I wouldn't allow it in situation like the one you described, where the enraged beast is already attacking -- pacifying it would require magic or alchemy.  However, if the animal is hostile and threatening (I.e., a standing and roaring bear), Beast Friend could be used to try to sway the animal from Hostile to Neutral.

3. Hero Points: No limit on the number used, except Luck of the Gods (per the rules) 

 

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