It's funny, no really (slightly edited)

[alexmegami]

Alex says: Why would you EVER use Brawl when everything except *one* Mega-Strength move can use Martial Arts?
Alex says: You still get your autodamage.
Alex says: (Once you hit, anyway)
Patrick says: Mega-Strength has a few uses.
Patrick says: Same as Mega-Charisma.
Alex says: Brawl is a functionally useless category except for Smackdown.
Alex says: Mega-Charisma has taint-negating uses outside of combat.
Alex says: That doesn't exactly make up for it, but it is good.
Patrick says: I mean, Soothe is your most used power.
Alex says: I can see why Strength isn't tied to anything (power-monkeys), but the same reason (power-monkeys) appears to be the reason why Charisma and Appearance aren't tied to anything.
Alex says: Yes, but that's because Vicki hates conflict.
Alex says: I could just as easily have gotten Disorient and Mega-Manipulation instead.
Alex says: Same effect.
Patrick says: Disorient doesn't destroy Taint.
Alex says: True. Technically neither does Soothe (it just lessens the negative; the taint is still -there-, it just doesn't stress anyone out.)
Alex says: "Hey! Radiation poisoning! I'm cool with that, dude."
Alex says: I prefer your way though.
Patrick says: I've figured it eliminates non-physical aberrations.
Alex says: Mostly because I am the TaintNegator~
Alex says: It's like the Terminator, for taint.

Comments

[safti]

. . . what the hell are you people talking about?

[user-lain.livejournal.com]

ABERRANT!

White Wolf's answer to Champions and other superhero RPGs. Chock full of angsty goodness, now with superpowers!

[safti]

Ahhh, it SOUNDED like WW, but I'm only familiar with Orpheus and Vampire [and only mildly on that second one], so . . . *chuckles*

[alexmegami]

Aberrant's combat system and mega-attributes, mostly. For most combat purposes, you can use either brawl or Martial Arts; Martial Arts has the advantage of being able to use your Mega-Dice to attack, which Brawl doesn't.

Aberrant has a system of Taint, where you can get powers for cheaper but start manifesting aberrations that get progressively worse (starting at something as minimal as weird eyes and going up to "I am t3h radioactive"). It also gives you negatives to dealing with people socially, as they get weirded out by your non-humanness. My character has a power that makes that weirded-out-ness go away for a time, hence "Hey! Radiation poisoning! I'm cool with that, dude" and " Terminator for taint".

It makes sense, honest ;)

[alexmegami]

Sorry man, efficiency and style over bulgy muscles and Wrestlemania moves any day.

[alexmegami]

Admittedly, there are good story reasons to have it.

Tactically, it's shit.

[user-lain.livejournal.com]

Was that to my repeatedly revised statement, which I deleted and rewrote twice?

Martial Arts shouldn't be as uber as they make it out to be. If anything, Brawl should go with Mega-Strength and Martial Arts should go with Mega-Dexterity and both should be allowed to use Mega-dice to attack. I think White Wolf and their ilk have romanticized Martial Arts and Eastern stuff in general. If you believe what they say, everything Asian is better.

I think this sentiment reflects on published mechanics.

[alexmegami]

I agree about both being able to use their Mega-Dice. I have no idea why they aren't.

I do think, though, that they're just playing to their audience. Eastern influences are HUGE right now; just as Vampire pandered to goths, Aberrant panders to comic book and movie geeks that want to get their roundhouse kick thang on.

[user-lain.livejournal.com]

Like how guns were back "in" after the Matrix but will probably be phased out because of the sword thing in Kill Bill?

[alexmegami]

Yes, exactly that sort of thing.

Also why Exalted has a more "anime" quality to it than most of the other WW games. Angst stopped being cool. Time to go Asian.

I predict the next big thing will be a Lord-of-the-Flies-eque setting. (Survivor/reality shows, don'tcha know.)

[achpsident.livejournal.com]

Battle Royale the RPG? Excellent.

[alexmegami]

Exactly!

Possibly with fewer guns. Though that would be an awesome game.

[achpsident.livejournal.com]

That'd pretty much be the sequel, actually.

[user-lain.livejournal.com]

To me, it's not about bulgy muscles. Brawl makes you look mean, like you've just come off a bender and found out someone killed your wife and kids. You're bottom of the barrel, nothing left to lose and you don't have time for fancy moves (including fancy wrestling holds). You're just going to keep hitting them until they don't get back up.

[alexmegami]

I disagree that all martial arts look the same, but that's as someone that's taken a couple of different types.

Again, I agree from a cinematic point of view. Tactically, it is worthless.

Besides, with ANY good character, it's all in the specializations, which helps that "cinematic" thing.

[alexmegami]

Agreed. MD is far more useful, especially given that no powers use Mega-Strength, whereas Mega-Dex and Mega-Stamina and their basic counterparts are the two stats most used for powers.

I'm trying to figure out why this is, and not really coming up with a good explanation.