Removing Rules - Please Vote

[derelictjay]

To me 'twould be worthless. Just a filler section. Honestly, if you have to have a section on how to remove rules, you probably got to many rules, and a lot of them wouldn't be core to the game, and probably should be tacted on optional rules. Hey, but what do I know.

 

[haiiro]

It could certainly be done badly, as others have said, but in general I like the idea. It'd certainly save me time if I liked some of the things integrated into the book, but not others -- and as BiggusGeekus pointed out, it'd also be a good indication that the designer(s) had thought things through and tested them.

I say go for it.

 

[Matthias]

Being able to extract rules would be of use to a game designer who wanted to create his own derivative ruleset for a homemade d20 system.

For instance, what if someone wanted to create a d20 game that used separate skills for attacking instead of a level-based attack bonus progression? Or if someone wanted to eliminate saving throws? Or if someone wanted to use d6's for everything that didn't already use d20's or percentile dice?

 

[Raesene Andu]

Don't joke with that! The last gaming session, with a new (and novice) DM was a disaster. Not only he decided to remove ALL rules for ease of DMing (so he would not have to learn them). Then, he also removed all scenario and preparation, so he would not have to bother himself with an adventure (and the relevant plot and creatures to take care of).

Actually, you can run a very successful adventure without any preparation at all. I do it all the time in my current campaign. Occasionally I use an adventure from dungeon, or convert one on the fly to my campaign. I'm about to head off to this week's gaming session with only the basic ideas of this week's adventure planned out in my head. At the end of last week the sole evil PC decided to murder the daughter of a powerful wizard so he could keep a magical item she was insistent on taking back to her father. Now he, and the rest of the party faces the consequences of that action as her father convinces a local king that sending a few hundred soldiers to hunt down the foul murderers is a good idea. How this will actually play out depends on the PCs, but it should be fun...

As for rules, I ignore roughly 50-60% of the rules in the PHB and my game runs fine, by concentrating on the RPG and story elements rather than on the rules themselves. As for the question posed by the poll, I personally dislike varient rules of any kind. If you are designing a RPG product, set in stone what you want to achieve and then let the DM pick and choose what he/she wants to use, most people will do this anyway. Providing a special section on how to remove certain rules from a product or use variant rules to replace sections is for the most part a waste of time and definetly filler.

 

[dannymwilson]

Don't joke with that! The last gaming session, with a new (and novice) DM was a disaster. Not only he decided to remove ALL rules for ease of DMing (so he would not have to learn them). Then, he also removed all scenario and preparation, so he would not have to bother himself with an adventure (and the relevant plot and creatures to take care of).

And that is why some people shouldent be allowed to DM, right DOM

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Being able to extract rules would be of use to a game designer who wanted to create his own derivative ruleset for a homemade d20 system.

For instance, what if someone wanted to create a d20 game that used separate skills for attacking instead of a level-based attack bonus progression? Or if someone wanted to eliminate saving throws? Or if someone wanted to use d6's for everything that didn't already use d20's or percentile dice?

True. Personally, I'd be willing to pay a couple of dollars for a version of the 3.5 SRD that had been purged of any reference to Attacks of Opportunity.

 

[Bloodstone Press]

edit

 

[Seeker95]

I have no problem is a product has this, but I already do it by default. So I don't need someone else to do it for me.

I introduce rules to the core as I want. I do not start with a third party / non-core book and assume it is all in. I start assuming it is all out, and I add what I want.

 

[Turanil]

And that is why some people shouldent be allowed to DM, right DOM

Anyone has the right to play exactly as he wants, and I had also the right to say I was displeased with that kind of gaming. And now, I won't play anymore like this.

As for rules, I ignore roughly 50-60% of the rules in the PHB and my game runs fine, by concentrating on the RPG and story elements rather than on the rules themselves.

Maybe I wouldn't like to play with you, I don't know... but I hope you don't play like this:

ENCOUNTER SO FAR: 3 goblins have slain our 7th level priest with 2 poisoned arrows that deal 60 points of damage on a failed saving throw.
PLAYER: Okay, I charge with my lance, one of the three goblins.
DM: Huh... the goblins are riding worgs (we, players, learn it right now).
PLAYER: Can you put minis of the goblins riders on the board so I can see what's happening?
DM: No, no need for that, roll for your attack.
PLAYER: Natural 1, I miss.
DM: Okay, now the three goblins on their worgs are running fast in circles around you and fire arrows.
PLAYER: How does that happen? What's the speed of worgs? My own horse is still running at full speed from the charge! Well, lets put minis on the board to run this battle properly!
DM: You are hit, one goblin made a critical hit, so now you cannot anymore use your left arm.
PLAYER: (who hasn't heard any dice rolled) But you don't even know my character's AC!! (and we don't even mention things like confirming a "threat" to make a critical hit).
DM: Your character (12th level templar) is not invincible!
PLAYER: (becoming angry at how things are handled) Okay I immediately cast cure-light-wounds on my arm (rolls a 6+5), so now I can use it again.
DM: No you can't, it's not normal damage!

At that point, I decided the game was over for me...
If per chance some comic books' artist read that and wants to use it for a strip, I would be glad to let him use the anecdote. Unfortunately it wouldn't look credible in a comic-strip (even a comical one).

 

[Cheiromancer]

It depends on how well it was done. A way of removing AoOs from the game while keeping everything balanced... I'd love to see how that would work!

Like: what do spiked chain wielders do now? What do you replace Combat Reflexes with? What happens when the enemy wizard right in front of you starts to cast a spell? Do large+ creatures have a modifier to their CR? Etc.

Similarly for grappling. (A topic I find very complicated and perplexing!)

So... yes. I would be interested in such a product.

And I also like Grim Tales method of incorporating rules variants with the 1 skull, 2 skull, 3 skull system. This works best with "superficial" rules changes. Deeply rooted rules (like AoOs) are harder to deal with.