I am curious as to what changes we can expect. Not asking for spoilers but more about format. One of the things discussed in recent years is length and the idea of reducing the number of encounters by one to get us done a bit earlier. I'm wonering what's been decided on that. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not getting any younger and these Battle Interactive while a great deal of fun are wearing me out by the time 10-11PM rolls around.

Hello Michael,

Yes, due to all the negative feedback about last year's BI, I've written one that is only 8 rounds in length.

You'll play Scenes 1 through 5, take a 1 hour dinner break, then play the last rounds, 6 - 8.

You'll be in bed before midnight, unless we start horribly late for some reason.

I will also say the following:

This is a Battle Interactive.

Some of your characters may die.

As in all battles, innocent bystanders may die.

So if you suffer from the following triggers: imaginary death and dismemberment, imaginary claustrophobia, imaginary characters dying, or pretending to fight imaginary creatures, then PLEASE return your ticket for a refund at Origins.

However, if your in he mood to take on sinister creatures and villains, face off against a horrible evil, kick some butt and shed the blood of your enemies by the bucket full, then your in for a treat.

Then sharpen your blades (imaginary, of course) and I'll see you at Origins, folks!

While I don't want to lose Haakon, for some reason (I guess since he finally made Tier 2), I am more comfortable if he dies than before. I would just hope it would be a heroic death and that he get "mentioned in dispatches" as it were. Still as long as he goes down swinging I'm cool with that. A BI should be a challenge and I have no problem as long as things are balanced and/or we have at least a shot at winning. I've had no complaints at my tables when I judged and nothing but good things to say about my BI Judges. And I think I can speak for my table last year that we had no major problems with the BI as a whole just some things that needed tinkering with. I said it before and I'll say it again a big Thank You to Eric and Jimmy for taking on the thankless task of putting together and running last year's BI. Good Job!

P.S. I've always found that focussing on the objective, playing smart, and using team tactics usually sees us through.

One question remains. Suppose your character does die at some point in the BI. What do you do for the rest of the event? Seems a shame to waste the playing time you spent money on. Would there be a way to bring in another character? Now I can just see it "Yeah I lost TWO characters in the BI, man that was rough!" On the other hand it does give one a certain cachet....

I too had a great time at last years BI, and it was my first. I must admit I am a bit intimidated by the constant thrum of - "your character may die" being made, though. My only concern with last years BI was that it appeared to have only been written at only one tier - therefore a table full of tier 1 characters were facing a much higher threat than a table full of tier 2 characters. And this year there are even some tier 3 characters out there to be at the BI.

Is this year's BI being written with multiple tiers? If not (which I can understand because it is a lot to write at even one tier) what tier/rank is it assuming the table of 6 players are at? It seems fair to know this ahead of time for the purpose of evaluating risk. (e.g. I would not play a tier 1 character in a BI tiered to be a deadly risk for tier 3 characters) If it is only written for one target tier/rank, will there be work done at mustering to obtain this average tier? Or will the table of tier 1 characters be facing the same threats the table full of high tier 2 and low tier 3 character are facing?

Hello Michael,



So are you proposing that if your character dies in a normal 4 hours adventure, the player should be allowed to bring in another character because he spent money to play?

At what point do you believe you have gotten your money's worth? After the half way point? Only if the character dies at the last fight?

Given that there are many ways to avoid death in the ARG system, you'd have to have already "died" a number of times for it to be permanent (twice, that I can think of).

So no - if your character "died" the third time in the BI or you chose not to spend a Fate Point or take a permanent and ugly scar to avoid death, then you're done with the BI or frankly any adventure this occurs in.

Hello,



Yes it is.

My apologies Henry I wasn't trying to provoke an argument really I wasn't. I keep forgetting about that business of burning a fate point to avoid death. I bounce back and forth between Arcanis and Pathfinder and sometimes get some of the rules mixed up. And I like the physical flaw/nasty scar business I can run with that. End up looking like Mad-Eye Moody. Let's see One Eye, Horribly Scarred and Missing a Leg (all depends on how I got hit). Yeah it's characterful for Haakon, be like one of those 40K Inquisitors...Darn it Henry now I'm wanting to get beat up in the BI...

Hello Michael,

No need to apologize - but your point has been brought up by others, so I decided I should address it as you brought it up.

Fair enough good sir. By the way I like HP8, it should provoke some discussion at the table and beyond. That last encounter should prove interesting.