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So what exactly is the root cause of the D&D rules' staying power?
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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 7342363" data-attributes="member: 4937"><p>Let me ask the question this way:</p><p></p><p>How many core elements of your favorite game system (whatever it is) have entered into the cRPG market and stuck there?</p><p></p><p>My guess is that unless your favorite game system is D&D, the answer is close to none.</p><p></p><p>Consider the lowly much scowled at "hit point". I doubt there is a core game mechanic of any system that has ever had so much derision heaped on it. And yet, it abides. It not only abides, it is pretty much universal in computer gaming. Why is the "hit point" so successful. Well, for a lot of reasons, but one very important answer is that it is statistically predictable. It allows you to make a good estimate of how a combat is going to play out. The ablative protection of a hit point means that you can easily do the math and that no one role necessarily need be decisive. If you are designing an RPG encounter, whether on a computer or in a table top game, that predictability and that ability to tweak the result is golden.</p><p></p><p>And so it goes.</p><p></p><p>I've been there. Back in the early '90s, frustrated with the limitations of 1e AD&D, I had all those opinions as well - classless, wound based systems, mana point based magic, skill based systems, point buy, and so on and so forth. By golly, I wasn't going to play an old fashioned inelegant unrealistic system any more. </p><p></p><p>So I played a lot of systems. Some of them were even good, but the more different systems I played, the more I realized most of my objections were seriously short sighted.</p><p></p><p>I'm glad you've found a system that works for you. But from my perspective, "Savage Worlds"??? Seriously? I think that just goes to show that there is no one system that makes everyone happy, but personally I've had a ton of fun running 3e D&D. With some tweaks, it does what I want it to do. Whereas, Savage Worlds does absolutely nothing for me.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 7342363, member: 4937"] Let me ask the question this way: How many core elements of your favorite game system (whatever it is) have entered into the cRPG market and stuck there? My guess is that unless your favorite game system is D&D, the answer is close to none. Consider the lowly much scowled at "hit point". I doubt there is a core game mechanic of any system that has ever had so much derision heaped on it. And yet, it abides. It not only abides, it is pretty much universal in computer gaming. Why is the "hit point" so successful. Well, for a lot of reasons, but one very important answer is that it is statistically predictable. It allows you to make a good estimate of how a combat is going to play out. The ablative protection of a hit point means that you can easily do the math and that no one role necessarily need be decisive. If you are designing an RPG encounter, whether on a computer or in a table top game, that predictability and that ability to tweak the result is golden. And so it goes. I've been there. Back in the early '90s, frustrated with the limitations of 1e AD&D, I had all those opinions as well - classless, wound based systems, mana point based magic, skill based systems, point buy, and so on and so forth. By golly, I wasn't going to play an old fashioned inelegant unrealistic system any more. So I played a lot of systems. Some of them were even good, but the more different systems I played, the more I realized most of my objections were seriously short sighted. I'm glad you've found a system that works for you. But from my perspective, "Savage Worlds"??? Seriously? I think that just goes to show that there is no one system that makes everyone happy, but personally I've had a ton of fun running 3e D&D. With some tweaks, it does what I want it to do. Whereas, Savage Worlds does absolutely nothing for me. [/QUOTE]
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So what exactly is the root cause of the D&D rules' staying power?
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