Barak said:
Oh that's just great. You hate the Dolphins. We might be going to Lake Geneva sooner then expected after all, the wife is a Bills fan true and through, and therefore hates the fishes with a passion.
Well, I am a strange Bears fan in that I do not hate the Packers, enjoy watching them play, but I dislike the Vikings strongly--well, as much as I can work up enmity for any team in a sport that really doesn't affect my real life other than in regards to leisure-time amusement
Anyway.. Your comment about the need to publish new material to make the game "grow" brings to mind another comment from one of my gaming friends. You are a vocal proponent of "simple" systems, as your comments on 3E indicate. Yet, any gaming system always end up publishing supplements, obviously, both to enable the company to make money selling them (duh!), and due to fan-demand. And obviously, any supplement must, somehow, bring -some- more rules with it, be it only to enable the use of such new material. How do you, as a game writer reconcile that fact with your ultimate preference for a somewhat rule-lite system?
There is often player pressure to add complexities and complications to rules and systems, such additions being urged in areas that the players like and believe to be critical to enjoyment of the game. I did that for some writing in OAD&D and regretted it considerably thereafter--mainly weapons vs. armor types and psionics. I would have been better advised to have explained alignment more carefully, stressing that is was mainly for the DM to use in judging a PCS actions, and not something that should ever be discussed in character unless with clerics or in a debate of morals and ethics, mainly philosphical. Actions should speak for alignment, and a player should have his PC perform according to the alignment chosen without speaking of it.
Back to the LA game system, the additions I have are mainly the sort that expand choices in the game--new a very few new Abilities, new Orders, new Equipment, new Weapons, more Powers (spells), Extraordinary Items (magic items), and new creatures (monsters). What rules additions there are are generally very short, quantify existing material or else give the Lejend Master some guidelines for action areas that were overlooked initially--breath holding for example.
In short, the material to supplement the existing core work adds perhaps 5%or less to the rules base, and the other 95% or more simply increases the options available to players and the LM.
Very few new rules are being added, but those that exist are being clarified in brief. Any complications desired are left to the LM, and most using the system appreciate that, as it leaves the game in their hands, not in those of rules lawers who can point to chapter and verse to mess up the flow of the adventure
Cheers,
Gary
