I don’t tend to save scum in general, and let the dice play out as they will except in the case of TPK, so I don’t think it will change the story in a fundamental way. But in my truncated and unsuccessful first Honour Mode run, I did find myself resting more, taking fewer risks and less willing to try novel ways of approaching encounters. I’m not really qualified to judge given I didn’t even make it to level four, but my sense is that a successful Honour Mode run will require patience, and I’ll admit that’s not my strong suit. In fact, my early demise in the Spider Matriarch’s lair was at least partly due to getting bored of caution and wanting to try something at least slightly different from what I’d done before.
This does change the story to some extent, as for me how my different characters approach challenges and encounters *is* part of their story, and I feel Honour Mode gives me fewer tenable options to roleplay this element of the game. And the roleplay is the most important factor in my enjoyment of the game. As a result, while I intend to keep trying until I make it through the mode once, I can’t see myself continuing using it and will probably revert to a Custom mode with Honour Mode difficulty but without single saves … if I ever manage to survive to the end.
That said, I do think it’s an interesting challenge, and I’ll try to keep an open mind. Perhaps if I can manage to make it through Act 1 without dying I’ll feel more positive
