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<blockquote data-quote="doctorbadwolf" data-source="post: 9276924" data-attributes="member: 6704184"><p>So, there are a few things.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>The ability for players to make a character</strong>. No random gen, no “you lay one of these 12 characters”. Real PCs<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ways to tie that character to the world</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ways to make that character distinct mechanically and thematically. I don’t care if the game is about knights of the same holy order. In that case make physicality, weapon choices, persona, approach to faith and interacting with the faithful, all matter mechanically.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Some degree of resentation of what makes the character interesting with mechanics, related to above. The especially athletic shield and holy sword knight shouldn’t feel the same as the especially scholarly glaive specialist, or the especially pious/devout/dedicated that inspires fierce courage and loyalty in her fellows. But also, the glaive should feel different in a way that makes some kind of sense, like attacking first when closing with an enemy or whatever.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Inclusive “politics”</strong>in the worldbuilding and lore, and art<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Obv can’t get too in the weeds on this, but I don’t care if the inspiration is medieval European knights, the Round Table had a black knight so can your game.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>A reason to care</strong>about the action of the game<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If everyone sucks and the world has already ended and your game assumes that resource scarcity leads to humans devolving into murderously selfish idiots, or any other grimdark premise with no counterbalancing Light or Heroism, why should I care?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I have experienced enough darkness in real life. I don’t need a guided tour.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Push and Pull</strong>, where players can try harder in some way and the GM can present complications, and there are knobs and levers on both sides. (5e mostly fails at this tbh, and only the fact that I have resources to add it in keeps me playing 5e as a result)<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I’m adding Star Wars Saga Edition Force Points to my 5e games because I’m tired of watching the utter dissatisfaction with the game itself when players roll <strong>not quite well</strong> <strong>enough</strong> and have no way to do anything about it</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Room to manuever</strong> and improvise, in the rules. Things like skills that don’t hard code exactly what you can do, for instance.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Supernatural element</strong>s that aren’t rigid, and instead have weird bits and bobs, and consequences and variable outcomes and costs,</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>It can’t put simulation over fun</strong>, but verisimilitude is vastly more important when it comes to behavior than when it comes to how combustion works, IMO. </li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="doctorbadwolf, post: 9276924, member: 6704184"] So, there are a few things. [LIST] [*][B]The ability for players to make a character[/B]. No random gen, no “you lay one of these 12 characters”. Real PCs [LIST] [*]Ways to tie that character to the world [*]Ways to make that character distinct mechanically and thematically. I don’t care if the game is about knights of the same holy order. In that case make physicality, weapon choices, persona, approach to faith and interacting with the faithful, all matter mechanically. [*]Some degree of resentation of what makes the character interesting with mechanics, related to above. The especially athletic shield and holy sword knight shouldn’t feel the same as the especially scholarly glaive specialist, or the especially pious/devout/dedicated that inspires fierce courage and loyalty in her fellows. But also, the glaive should feel different in a way that makes some kind of sense, like attacking first when closing with an enemy or whatever. [/LIST] [*][B]Inclusive “politics”[/B]in the worldbuilding and lore, and art [LIST] [*]Obv can’t get too in the weeds on this, but I don’t care if the inspiration is medieval European knights, the Round Table had a black knight so can your game. [/LIST] [*][B]A reason to care[/B]about the action of the game [LIST] [*]If everyone sucks and the world has already ended and your game assumes that resource scarcity leads to humans devolving into murderously selfish idiots, or any other grimdark premise with no counterbalancing Light or Heroism, why should I care? [*]I have experienced enough darkness in real life. I don’t need a guided tour. [/LIST] [*][B]Push and Pull[/B], where players can try harder in some way and the GM can present complications, and there are knobs and levers on both sides. (5e mostly fails at this tbh, and only the fact that I have resources to add it in keeps me playing 5e as a result) [LIST] [*]I’m adding Star Wars Saga Edition Force Points to my 5e games because I’m tired of watching the utter dissatisfaction with the game itself when players roll [B]not quite well[/B] [B]enough[/B] and have no way to do anything about it [/LIST] [*][B]Room to manuever[/B] and improvise, in the rules. Things like skills that don’t hard code exactly what you can do, for instance. [*][B]Supernatural element[/B]s that aren’t rigid, and instead have weird bits and bobs, and consequences and variable outcomes and costs, [*][B]It can’t put simulation over fun[/B], but verisimilitude is vastly more important when it comes to behavior than when it comes to how combustion works, IMO. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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