Powers & Limitations || 16/11/2019

Powers & Limitations

We've encountered the notion that powers, in their nature, are inherently uneven. The main argument has been that certain types of abilities will require less applications to make function, or that the design space is limited, specifically regarding the acquisition and usage of thematic resources. To clarify the example, soap occuring naturally in the world will happen significantly less frequently than encountering air or dirt, which is available everywhere. To this, staff had a discussion. The conclusion we came to, is that not all powers are created equal. The individual with the soap-based power will naturally have more difficulty in acquiring their resources. That is why both the weapon gimmick and emission exists. That being said, soap inherently also has different innate flavorful uses that air does not. Scent, lubrication, making things slippery, etc. Features that, to achieve with air, requires that person to invest into a transformation application. Sure, we agree that it may be awkward for a character to drag around buckets of soap, but there will undoubtedly be some creative solutions to problems posed by powers, which is something we're anxious to see, rather than fix with an overhaul of the systems.

To address the concern that certain abilities and thematics are inherently more powerful than others, there are situations where a specific power is going to struggle to cope with a dilemma. As a staff team, we believe this is healthy for the playerbase. In the occasions where a power is designed with the sole purpose of being powerful, overpowered or without weakness, staff will deal with it on a case by case basis. Our manifesto approach of focussing on the story aspect of the roleplay, rather than the powercreep, stands. Still, we encourage further discussion and feedback on the matter, and are more than willing to assist with making specific things more attainable and entertaining for the playerbase.

~~ Surrender Dawn Staff Team.