Newbie Question: Hearts


#1

Hello, I just bought in to ICRPG. The only question I have so far regards the hearts…

It takes 10+ effort in a single attempt to destroy a heart, but is anything less than 10 “wasted effort”? Or does the GM keep track of it?

For example, if I use basic effort and roll a 3, is the next person starting from scratch when they attempt? Or is there only 7 more effort needed to destroy that heart?

.

Btw, I just purchased:
Core 2e
Magic
Worlds
Blood and Snow
Vigilante City
Age of Snakes
Altered State
…so fingers crossed this system is for me, lol


#2

Think of HEARTS as if it was damage for everything. If one player deals 3 effort on one turn, the next player only has 7 more to go.

Hearts just make it easier because there is so little difference between 11 and 14 for example. Why not just be simple and count by tens haha.


#3

Yep, the GM typically keeps track. Hearts are really just a way to easily specify roughly how much effort it takes to finish a task or kill an enemy.


#4

They already answered that question, but welcome to the community! Your purchases will help support some amazing and creative people and believe me, you can make this system work for anything so I think you’ll be satisfied :slight_smile:


#5

Yeah, if you take the Zelda analogy literally then the hearts mechanic is confusing. It’s just 10hp per heart.

Welcome to the coldest rpg around.


#6

Welcome! And as you journey the depths and heights of ICRPG always feel free to ask and comment. We’re glad you’re here.


#7

Thanks for the confirmation!

Couldn’t decide on a setting, so I figured if I ran the gambit from the Pleistocene Epoch to interstellar warp drives, that I’d have the toolkit to bash something together. Lol

I also picked up Microscope RPG to help out with custom ICRPG settings


#8

Microscope is amazing !!


#9

Wow, that’s me in a nutshell if I’m not careful . . . ALL IN when something sparks my interest. Now, I’ve been burned by that so I’ve learned to start small until I know I love something before I go all in. Here’s the good news, though . . . if you like RPGs I’m confident you won’t get burned by this example of all in. :slight_smile:


#10

You should also check @Ezzerharden’s collection. He’s compiled a bunch of World Primers and resources you can use to get started. I’d recommend trying out some of the base adventures from CORE and running them as written. They are really well written to get a feel for ICRPG. Then you can be better prepared to customize and DIY to your heart’s content! Oh and join in on lots of conversations :wink:


#11

Yeah, I’ve been burned before on getting too hyped about [insert hobby]. Me finding ICRPG just so happened to line up with getting my tax return, having free time, and finding a handful of people who are seriously interested in playing.

First time DMing, so I’m looking forward to making mistakes with some friends


#12

Welcome!!!

Have fun, get better.

Compare core to Altered State and you have a good concept of how to make modular parts.

But 3 stats or tags and a roll system and you have an RPG.

Hearts are 10Hp
But it could be 15 if you need it to be in certain situations. Up to you!

A heart is also more importantly 10 effort worth of something… but that too can be flexible for your needs.

It’s a quick easily recognizable shorthand.

It’s what typically would take an expert 2 or 3 moments to accomplish. But if everything aligns or they have prepared perfectly, it’s just a moments effort.

Effort is one of the areas in ICRPG that I don’t think has been explored to its maximum potential, and it’s approach is almost unique in RPGs.


#13

Welcome to the group @toucantsam!!! Way to go all in on ICRPG!!! :smiley:


#14

Hells yes! Welcome to ICRPG! Lots of others have answered the question, I just wanted to welcome you. :slight_smile:


#15

Welcome to the fold and talk about going all in! :herocoin:

If you were after a simple system which you can modify and mold to your needs, you’ve come to the right place. As a bonus, the community is super mature and super nice too. I haven’t seen anything like this.

But but but… what about my book… and my Hero Cards? :cry: LOL!


#16

Your stuff looks great! Short answer is that I’m heavily swayed by video reviews and I didn’t see one imbedded to the DriveThruRPG product page for your book. And I’m not sure why I didn’t look into your cards… I think the money was just burning a hole in my pocket and I thought I poured over everything. Lol


#17

@Khan ‘s book bridges most legitimate crunchy play elements D&D players might have with ICRPG in my opinion.

The cards however are a brilliant addition to encourage play in a fashion the GM wants. An almost sublime quick non disruptive way to encourage heroic, or lighthearted, or most other feels except tragic horror.