Last time, you determined that bioluminescence is best than darkish darkness. You need not simply mild however eerie, near-magical mild, and I can perceive that. We’re doing science right here, we won’t go groping about at nighttime. This week, I ask you to decide on between a reward for warning and a dare to be reckless. What’s higher: unit veterancy, or rerolling cube?
Unit veterancy
In many technique and ways video games, models are largely disposable and interchangeable. With the identical useful resource worth and utility worth, you have got little connection to this rifleman over that rifleman. Look away and you will probably overlook which is which. Unless considered one of them has fought and survived lengthy sufficient to develop into a veteran unit, with particular everlasting buffs, by which case they’re essentially the most treasured child to cherish and shield.
Across a lot of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2’s Allied marketing campaign, my favorite tactic was babysitting a bunch of squishy Prism Tanks as they gained veterancy ranks, then sending this squad of regenerating laserbeam ultramurderers to carve by means of enemy bases (even higher as soon as you bought entry to the Chronosphere and will teleport the lads in deep). It’s enjoyable, rewarding, and welcome in a collection the place models usually felt wholly disposable.
This will be particularly essential in video games the place models carry over between missions. I believe I first encountered this in Bungie’s Myth, the place veteran models could possibly be very important deep within the marketing campaign. Even when veterancy bonuses aren’t large, it fosters attachment and provides moments of drama. I lately performed Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector (a recreation whose acquainted setting helped ease me into deeper ways), the place surviving a mission solely supplied tiny everlasting bonuses, and misplaced models could possibly be changed free of charge between missions. And but, if my particular little guys obtained too deep behind enemy strains or foolishly flanked, I might go to nice lengths to rescue them.
Veterancy provides rewards for cautious play and planning, offers useful bonuses, and creates little distinctive story beats in your battles. The unit which survives lengthy sufficient to develop into a veteran, then makes use of its newfound power to rain homicide and pull off clutch saves, then overreaches and must be rescued. That’s a pleasant whack of drama to come back from what’s functionally only a stat increase.
Rerolling cube
Chance is embedded deeply in video video games, shaping the end result of every thing from loot drops to gun accuracy. Few video games expose this opportunity as plainly as these which present us cube rolling. And essentially the most pleasant of these are video games which allow us to snatch a cube again up then roll it once more, declaring “That one does not rely.”
This is not in lots of video games, however I’m aways glad when a recreation dares me to reroll a cube. It’s a no brainer to reroll the worst potential roll, then will get fascinating with okay-ish outcomes. I wish to get a greater roll, however what if it comes out worse? This query can affect occasions in RPGs like Citizen Sleeper and Betrayal At Club Low (which we’re enjoying this month for the RPS Game Club), rewarding daring or punishing hubris. It’s the muse of poker cube within the first couple of Witcher video games. And it is an awesome second in my present go-to telephone recreation, Slice & Dice (additionally out there on PC from Itch, with a demo there too—test it out!).
Slice & Dice is a dungeon crawler which maps most assaults, talents, and gear onto the faces of cube. Roll a handful of cube, one per occasion member, and you will see the choices out there to you this flip. You may also reroll as many cube as you need, twice per flip, earlier than locking in your alternative. Usually, all of it hinges on the roll. Maybe your healer rolled an assault when you actually need well being. Maybe one character has an merchandise providing nice energy at the price of blanking out one face, and you retain rolling the empty. Maybe you merely want one level extra injury. Maybe you have got a daft occasion composition filled with ‘cantrip’ results that set off each time the face is rolled, spraying injury and shields and mana and bonus rerolls throughout as you retain on rolling. But perhaps you are going through monsters who’ll homicide you with injury reflection if you happen to attempt to stunt them with cantrips. And perhaps you will lose a useful-ish roll and be caught with one thing ineffective. At what level do you lock a cube? Do you settle for an okay flip, or do you dream large and maintain rolling? And do you have got a plan to get better if daring does not repay?
I do like how rerolling cube offers us a small quantity of management which massively encourages to ignore actuality and deal with probability as a wilful adversary we are able to beat. “Oh there is not any approach my reroll can be decrease than this 2,” I say, as if I do not know the way cube work. “Nuh uh, I would like at the least a 4, you would not do me soiled like that,” I insist, appearing as if the sport is now my pal and we’re each on the lookout for a optimistic final result, so c’mon, do me a stable and provides me a 5. “And after snake eyes final spherical, truthfully you owe me at the least one 6 as an apology,” I say, my grasp on actuality slipping. “DOUBLE 6! YOU DID IT! FINALLY! THANK YOU!” I shout as I spin untethered by means of a void which I’ll most likely personify quickly as a result of I assume that is the kind of fool I’m.
It says lots about us that we’ll deal with even a random quantity generator as a good friend or foe. If you caught googly eyes on the generator, we’d completely give it a reputation (which I suppose is what Hand Of Fate’s Dealer did to drawing playing cards, to nice impact). Oh. I’ve simply realised. With a D6, you would use googly eyes as a substitute of pips, could not you. Well. That’s a cube I now want.
But which is best?
I do know I ought to depend on veteran models. I do know I ought to belief of their buffs. I do know I ought to revel of their tales. And but, I can’t assist however roll the cube then roll them once more. But what do you suppose, reader expensive?
Pick your winner, vote within the ballot under, and make your case within the feedback to persuade others. We’ll reconvene subsequent week to see which factor stands triumphant—and proceed the nice contest.
