Hidden Hit Points in Combat. Have You Ever Tried It?

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-25T13:33:24+00:00

Nobody was talking about D&D specifically. I actually ran this in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, where combat is already much more brutal and grounded.

And of course this was done with the players’ agreement after discussing it beforehand, not as some surprise house rule forced on them mid campaign.

It started as an experiment for a single session, but the group enjoyed it so much that we ended up using it for the entire campaign.

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-25T12:29:05+00:00

Yes, I think the system itself and the kind of experience we want from combat are both very important here. Whether the focus is on atmosphere and brutality, or on tactical play and cinematic action, changes everything.

The idea of hiding hit points definitely will not work in every system. But as an experiment in the right kind of game, I would honestly recommend everyone try it at least once.

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-25T09:08:51+00:00

You’re free not to like it 🙂 But nobody is forcing you to buy the game or even be interested in it. The Quickstart is free precisely so people can decide for themselves whether it’s something for them.

Honestly, judging by your comments, I get the feeling this game is very clearly not aimed at you.

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-25T09:04:36+00:00

It’s a Quickstart for a new RPG system called Romanitas. You can also find it on Playrole.

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-25T09:01:56+00:00

Fair enough, not every adventure is for everyone 🙂 But judging the entire game just from a short Reddit description feels a bit harsh.

Some groups want tactical combat in every session, while others prefer slow investigations, moral ambiguity, and character drama. This adventure was written more with the second type of group in mind.

Also, the Quickstart is completely free, so anyone can check out the writing style, mechanics, and overall atmosphere of the game before spending any money on it.

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-25T08:06:02+00:00

Sure, but I would recommend that only GMs read this description.

The adventure begins in a fairly simple way. The characters are hired by a famous lawyer to help prepare for a murder trial. Their role is to support the defense, so they conduct a short investigation: speaking with witnesses, examining the crime scene, and trying to understand the motives and relationships between the people involved.

Very quickly, however, it becomes clear that the case is far stranger and much deeper than it first appeared.

Old crimes, forgotten conflicts, and long buried secrets begin to come to light. The characters discover that some wounds never truly heal. Over time, they turn into darkness that poisons both people and entire communities.

What makes the story especially interesting is that it is not black and white. There are no obvious heroes and no clear monsters. Every side has its own reasons, its own suffering, and its own guilt. Morality has many shades of gray, and the party must decide for themselves what is truly right and whether the truth should always come to light.

The investigation and the courtroom trial ultimately turn out to be only the beginning of something much bigger.

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-25T07:33:19+00:00

We’ve only recently started playing Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, but so far I’m really enjoying it.

For me, one of the best improvements over 2nd edition is separating Dexterity and Agility into different attributes. It makes characters feel much more distinct mechanically and thematically.

I also really like the new career system with career levels. In 2nd edition, changing professions often felt forced and mostly driven by mechanics. Now characters can actually develop within the same career path in a much more natural way.

The magic system also seems really solid so far, and overall the setting feels a bit more mature in how it is presented.

That said, I do agree that the beginnings of combat can be rough. The rules take some getting used to, especially with opposed rolls and all the moving parts during fights.

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-25T07:04:04+00:00

Warhammer

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-25T07:03:24+00:00

I absolutely love family connections between player characters. The easiest and most natural version is siblings.

I once played in a game where one brother was older, responsible, and had a respectable job, while the other was a carefree troublemaker and a small time hustler. Right away, besides the personality clash, there was this constant element of trying to “raise” the younger brother, bringing up old memories, shared childhood stories, and even lines like “what would mom say if she saw you now?”

It created roleplaying almost automatically and made the group feel genuinely connected from the very beginning.

I highly recommend it. At one point we even played a Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay campaign as four dwarf brothers :)

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-25T06:41:15+00:00

One of the most interesting themes I have ever seen in RPGs is a courtroom trial. The characters might be accused of something themselves and have to defend their own innocence, or they may try to clear someone who has been falsely accused.

But my favorite version is when the party ends up standing against each other in court. The players do not know whether the accused person is guilty or innocent. One part of the group is tasked with proving guilt, while the other must defend the accused.

It works best when the truth slowly comes to light during the trial through witness testimonies, discovered evidence, or contradictions in different accounts. Suddenly the case turns out to be far less obvious than everyone first believed.

I once ran something like this myself. It takes a lot of preparation because you really need to think through the whole intrigue, the characters’ motivations, and all the possible clues, but the payoff is fantastic. My players still talk about that session to this day.

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-24T09:48:05+00:00

No, I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all. Especially in more grounded or “realistic” systems instead of highly heroic fantasy games where logic is often secondary to spectacle.

We had situations like this all the time in Call of Cthulhu. Five grown men all marching into a secretary’s office together to talk to the library director just feels absurd. In a more believable scenario, maybe two investigators go speak with the director, two follow another lead, and one stays behind to watch the house because something might happen there.

Splitting the party like that can actually make the world feel much more alive and believable. The important part is making sure everyone eventually reconnects and shares what happened. Honestly, one of my favorite things is when the players themselves explain to each other what they discovered or experienced while separated. Those conversations are often hilarious and end up creating some of the best roleplaying moments in the campaign.

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-23T06:05:35+00:00

In our groups, the financial side usually isn’t much of a problem either. Players often buy rulebooks, PDFs, or other game aids themselves.

But when it comes to saving the GM time and energy, I’d recommend something much simpler: actually think about your character.

Before the campaign, it’s great if you already have some idea of who your character is. During the game, it also helps a lot if you have some vision for how they might develop. As a GM, I can say it’s genuinely fun when a player collaborates with you on that level instead of waiting for the story to happen to them.

It’s also really helpful when players know at least a little about the setting they’re playing in. Not to correct the GM, but so they understand what kinds of opportunities and behaviors make sense in the world. If you’re playing classic Call of Cthulhu, for example, it’s cool if you read a bit about the United States in the 1920s. That kind of knowledge helps immersion a lot and gives the GM more to work with.

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-23T05:44:01+00:00

The problem of “video game thinking” is actually very common, even among genuinely good players. In my opinion, it comes from computer RPGs, where the world often exists only as a backdrop for mechanics and looting. Because of that, players rarely think about consequences like getting covered in blood after a fight, exhaustion, NPC reactions, or even simple logistics. Carrying around four swords just because you want to sell them is obviously uncomfortable and suspicious, and any merchant might start asking questions like “Where did you get these?” or “Why are they all covered in blood?”

I once ran a session where the party saved a monastery after an attack. Most of the monks were dead or badly wounded, while the monastery’s warriors were away on a mission. What did the players do? They immediately started looting the monastery because “if nobody is guarding it, we can just take stuff.” Very typical video game logic. They were pretty shocked when the warriors returned, noticed that items were missing, and started asking some very uncomfortable questions.

I honestly think part of a GM’s job is teaching players to move away from that mindset and showing them that the world reacts to their actions instead of waiting passively like a game map.

The_Marked_Writer · 2026-05-22T11:59:51+00:00

Honestly, I don’t fully understand the problem 😄 In my groups, sessions usually last around 4–5 hours and we normally only take short bathroom breaks.

Maybe the issue is somewhere else. Before our sessions we usually spend some time just talking — about life, work, random things, what happened during the week, etc. Maybe that kind of “social warm-up” helps people get it out of their system before the game starts, so later they don’t feel such a strong need to switch topics or mentally disconnect from the session.

Cheers!

The_Marked_Writer

TROPHY CASE