So, I know that this is going to produce wildly divergent answers, but I'm sure everyone has thought about what their perfect RPG looks like. And I'm sure that everyone's answers are a little bit different. But with all the new games arising from the OGL kerfuffle, I thought I'd throw up a thread. Who knows? Maybe if a large percentage likes something, it'll be helpful to the CoolNameHere, Black Flag, ORC, or some other group of designers. So, to get the ball rolling, I'm going to throw up my wishlist.
1. Fun and easy to play: Some of that is below, but it should also have mechanics designed in ways that facilitate the ability to narrate the action. If an attack hits, it should HIT, and if it does damage, that should be real damage, unless the PC somehow absorbs/soaks or shrugs it off. Similarly, choices should matter, so that weapon choice is relevant, armor is relevant, etc.
2. Some ability of the player to control the narrative, via the mechanism of fate tokens, luck points, or whatever should exist. I want a degree of unpredictability, but I don't enjoy having to restart a character from novice all the time.
3. A (mostly) unified mechanic: In my idea world, this mechanic lets us make regular use of all the standard polyhedral dice. Why? Because it sounds fun to be able to use all the dice I own.
4. Classless, and Skill-based: One of the things I have grown to hate in D&D is classes. In part this is because it then requires new classes for every new genre, and in part because it tends to make it hard to think "How would I build a character like [X fictional character]?"
5. A flexible system for pulling off stunts/skill tricks/magic: I'm thinking something here like "Mighty Deeds of Arms" from DCC, Tests from Savage Worlds, or Stunts from the various AGE games. By baking it into the skill system, non-combat encounters could potentially be just as engaging as combat ones.
6. A flexible, but comprehensive, magic/power system: See above. Give me the basics of a robust system of powers, so that I have the building blocks of spells. I'm thinking here of something like Savage Worlds, where the various spells are primarily differentiated by their actual effect, not their special effects. The trappings system is amazing, but might need more guidelines.
7. "Sweet spot" durability: I want to see the "5-minute adventuring day" die. I want characters that can get into fights, get beat up, recover, and keep going. I wouldn't personally mind long-term wounds, but overall, I'd like it to default a bit like a pulp action movie, although in an idea world, this would be a dial one could tune.
8. Experience progression: Characters should get better or more competent. I'm not sure how to marry this with Point 7, but while I want PCs to get "better," I don't want combat turning into a grind.
I could go on, but those are some of my preferences. In a lot of ways, Savage Worlds ticks most of my boxes, which is why it's my go-to system right now. But I would have to stop using my beloved d20s, and I'm not sure how I'll feel about exploding dice until I get to play the system. And since I'm having trouble getting a gaming group together, I'm left with a lot of thought-time.
So those are my wishlist items. What are yours? The floor is open.