What would you look for in a new RPG?

[frankthedm]

From here http://www.enworld.org/forum/other-rpg-discussion/247431-what-rule-system-am-i-looking.html

1. A sense of simulation that allows for handwaving but does not assume it.
2. Math/combat is fast.
3. Defender gets to actively roll to defend from being attacked.
4. Characters can grow in power to fight armies.
5. Lots of minis without using lots of time.
6. Being hit is bad, not assumed. The hits you don't dodge or soak should hurt.
7. Any hit could kill but probably won’t unless the attacker outclasses the foe, in which case the foe probably will die.
8. “Damage” is easy to track, but specific injuries are possible.
9. Falling hurts
10. Magic is hazardous to the wielder.
11. Magic is not an “I Win” button or a guaranteed success.
12. Character power not tied to gear.

 

[fuzzlewump]

Really good 'quick-start' rules.

A combination of a really simple run-down with a mission/adventure, that slowly reveals complex rules, but focuses on whatever the RPG wants to focus on, the narrative or the battle or whatever.

Sell me quick, because once I leave the groups comfort zone (be it D&D, white wolf, whatever,) there are thousands of choices.

 

[steenan]

I'm looking for a few different things, a few different games. I don't believe it's possible to make a game that would be useful for varied genres and settings; it's much better to focus and do one thing really good.

I am currently looking for three types of fantasy games, or good ideas about how to implement them myself:

1. A game about an empire being born
- mythic feel; great beasts, gods, natural disasters, powerful magic
- heroes that start as ordinary men with a spark of inspiration and grow larger than life
- mechanics for building the empire that focuses more on the growing legend than on finances, military and logistics
- system that handles all kinds of quests and challenges that heroes face in a similar way (no matter if it is combat, trickery, negotiation, exploration etc.)
- character advancement that's based directly on achievements (no XP, increasing skills, gaining levels or something similar)
- no ancient artifacts or ruins - there was no civilization before

2. A game that could capture Brandon Sanderson's approach to fantasy magic
- all characters are magic users
- magic strongly tied to the setting, with all consequences taken into account
- magic system that is narrowly defined in effects but allows a lot of creativity in uses (example from Mistborn: magical power that allows you to detect metal objects and push against them is used to shoot metal projectiles and defend from them, jump and fly by pushing off something on the ground, open hidden locks etc.)
- encouragement for finding unusual uses for powers and their combinations that would be seen as abuses and loopholes in other games

3. A classic dungeon crawl game, with a twist:
- people a little above average in talents and below average in experience getting into things high above their heads; advancement does not make them superheroes
- no magic over the cantrip level other than found items (strange and dangerous)
- combat that is quite lethal and better to be avoided
- mechanics to model fear and frustration; losing "courage points" (leading to backing off from the dungeon or panicking and getting killed) and "focus points" (leading to lowered awareness and reflexes, probably causing a death by trap) as dangerous as losing hit points
- resource management in scale of entire adventure, not a day or encounter

 

[Neonchameleon]

I'm working on my own system, just thought I would ask what everyone out there would look for in a new RPG. Any answer is good, from theme to genre to rules to settings.

I prefer rules that are open, meaning classless and not specific to any era or genre, so you can play whatever your in the mood for without having to change the rules to fit it.

What I'd look for in a ruleset is quite simply something that does what it's trying to do better than any set I currently have.

For "Generic, portable, clasless" I have GURPS, Dogs in the Vineyard, Spirit of the Century, and Dread on my bookshelf. You'd need to tell me why your game would do better at what you were trying to do than any of those four (all of which have very different styles). Oh, and Savage Worlds - which I must pick up at some point.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I get turned off when an RPG creates its own rules system that is more cumbersome than an existing rules system and the new system was unnecessary to improve gameplay. I'd rather have an RPG with a creative setting in the d20 system, than that same creative setting in a new rules system that combines playing cards, dice, and drawing bingo letters. Being different for different's sake is a pitfall to me.

 

[invokethehojo]

Well, I wasn't going to get into describing what I'm working on at all, but it sounds like doing so might be beneficial... or not, guess I'll have to take a chance.

The core of our game is a stable core rules system (no rules subsets) with a degree of success scale for most rolls, exclusively using percentile dice, where all character stats use the same scale (0 - 100) so all stats can be used interchangeably. The goal is to make a system that adapts quickly and easily to any situation, so you have the tools to rule anything you want to try without flipping through a rulebook. I want the streamlined, detailed mechanics of a modern RPG but with the ability to do anything I can describe easily like I could in 2e D&D.

So far it's worked really well. I've tested it with about 15 players total, with varying levels of play experience, and one of the things I've heard from most players is how easy it is to learn because the core mechanic handles everything. It's not the fastest system yet, but it's too early to judge that yet since the system is still in it's infancy.

I don't want to get into the details of my system because that isn't what this thread is about, and because every example I give would require me to explain several things, each of which would require me to explain several more things. Suffice to say I've never been happy with the products that are out there, I feel that I can do better and I feel strongly enough that I'm willing to stake my life savings and most of my free time for several years on it. So while I appreciate your support or criticism, at this point what I'm really looking for from this thread is a general discussion of what would make you buy a new system, so that I may learn from it.

For me it would be an adaptable system where creativity and description matter, and that can work in any era because I like to run campaigns from all different time periods, but I hate having to own different rule systems for every era and also hate hoping that my players (who are all in their late 20's to early 30's) not only have the free time to play each week, but also to learn a new rule system for every campaign.

how about you?

 

[Neonchameleon]

Why does the percentile scale matter? For arbitrary realistic numbers I prefer bell curves - and for cinematics, I'd prefer 1-10 with exploding dice. How does your game add things that neither GURPS/GURPS Light nor Spirit of the Century does?

Also, and the big question, have you ever had it tested with you not at the table? Anyone can run their own system.

 

[invokethehojo]

I don't want to get into the details of my system because that isn't what this thread is about, and because every example I give would require me to explain several things, each of which would require me to explain several more things. Suffice to say I've never been happy with the products that are out there, I feel that I can do better and I feel strongly enough that I'm willing to stake my life savings and most of my free time for several years on it. So while I appreciate your support or criticism, at this point what I'm really looking for from this thread is a general discussion of what would make you buy a new system, so that I may learn from it.

And yes, I've had someone else run it and it went well.

 

[MortonStromgal]

1. Interesting Setting or Interesting Mechanic, if it has either of those I'll pick up the core book.

2. Rules that stay out of the way and are better for the setting than GURPS. This keeps me playing/buying supplements.

Some interesting settings examples - Shadowrun, Eclipse Phase, Desolation, Witchhunter

Some interesting mechanic examples - Burning Wheel, Unknown Armies, Warhammer Fantasy 3e, Hollow Earth Expedition

 

[Jhaelen]

The core of our game is a stable core rules system (no rules subsets) with a degree of success scale for most rolls, exclusively using percentile dice, where all character stats use the same scale (0 - 100) so all stats can be used interchangeably.

Reminds of the system Eclipse Phase is using. Have you seen it?