IMHO the 'attributes' provided by systems like 1e, where the real mechanics are muddled into the middle of the description block, force you to read the entire thing and parse it EVERY TIME. Those 'attributes' are mostly useless color in that system. Nobody cares about schools and such, nobody consistently used components, etc. The level of the spell, and class, are already obvious from the book section, etc.
Regardless of the quality of AD&D’s properties, the format has persisted. That’s my point. Everything 4e adds with keywords, action type, etc are all clearly an evolution of that format.
Sure, when I was young I just memorized the mechanics of every spell. I cannot possibly do that now, I need attributes that are meaningful, broken out, and presented so I can go bang, bang, bang, done.
That’s why I’m suggesting to look at games other than tabletop RPGs. They manage to present effects in a clear and short format, often to players who have never seen them before the first time they’ve used them.
For example, these are abilities (as close as I can get to
magic missile and
fireball) from
Middara, and adventure board game. These images are taken from
Middara’s dropbox downloads.
Ruination is an ability from a summon, but it’s effectively an AoE attack. The bolded elements call out the game mechanics.
SPELL 6 means to roll your casting die and add 6. The targets have to make conviction checks or take the result (Diem’s casting die worth of
MAGIC DMG). The number in the circle is the
SP cost to use the ability. You get
SP at the start of your turn, which is spent to use abilities, move, etc. An
Effect is a beneficial thing (like Haste) or negative (like Poison). Effects are tracked with tokens. Diem is the name of the summon.
Life Tithe is a Discipline, which is how you customize characters. The XP cost is how many XP you pay to buy it. It costs 3+, meaning three plus how many other
LVL 1 Disciplines you have. Disciplines with costs will have icons down the side. This one is “free” but can only be used one per turn by exhausting (i.e., tap) the card. Exhausted cards are recovered at the start of your turn.
SOI is a standard distance. By default, it is four squares, but some things can increase it. The player with Life Tithe in our game has an item that increases
SOI to six squares.
Is this the best format? Consider
Fireball from
Magic: the Gathering. That page in particular is interesting because the sidebar itemizes the costs, type, etc like tabletop RPGs typically do for spells. You can see the card next to it (reproduced below). The cost (X + 1 fire mana) is in the “chrome” as is the type (“Sorcery”). It doesn’t bold elements like Middara, but references to costs (usually) use the formatting they use in the chrome.
The issue I see with “natural language” in tabletop RPGs is it tries to avoid stating plain mechanics by describing them instead in rules-lawyerese. Consider this version of
fireball from 4e that is only plain language. Note that I’ve omitted the action under the assumption that default rules needn’t be restating (and that casting as a standard action is the common rule). I consider the heading part of the chrome. Alternatively, it could be done as a symbol like PF2 does.
Fireball (Daily ✦ Arcane, Fire, Implement)
A globe of orange flame coalesces in your hand. You hurl it at a point in RANGE 20, and it explodes in a BURST 3. Deal 3d6+INT fire damage to targets hit (INT vs. Reflex) in the burst or half on a miss.
