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That sounds pretty similar to what Middara (an adventure board game) does. Every monster has an “AI” (a script it follows) that you evaluate on its turn. It makes for pretty solid gameplay, but it’s very game-y. I think the simulation and immersive types would hate it in action (especially once...

OSE was A5 … checks Kickstarter … but Dolmenwood is not. It really is A4. That’s unfortunate. I prefer the smaller-sized books of OSE to full-size RPG books. Ah, well. It’s not like I’m going to cancel my pledge or change it though. 😅

That’s going to depend on what kind of feel you’re trying to capture. I think looking at the action economy and customization are good places to start. Maybe try to keep the math consistent as well (any DC can become a modifier and any modifier a DC, compatibly).

I ran an old-school style campaign for about a year or so before PF2 burned me out on the system. I think focusing on character builds isn’t the right approach. The number of options you have at any given decision point is not very large, and the game provides suggested builds you can use if you...

By default, AD&D 1e used type I (roll 4d6 drop lowest, arrange as desired). The only editions not to use that method are 2e and 4e. 4e used a standard array by default. 2e changed type I back to the classic method (3d6, assign in order), moving 1e’s type I to type V, and added type VI as a form...

I don’t normally visit the 5e forum here, so I missed this thread since it wasn’t in the older edition forum. I’m probably late to the discussion, but I figured I’d add my 2¢. I grew up in the ’80s but somehow missed D&D, so (outside of Baldur’s Gate) my first real D&D was 3e at the gaming club...

“finally found the stirge nest” It’s been a while since the previous session. Real life (and Origins) came up, and our schedules didn’t align very well. I took the opportunity to make a few changes to the system, but the only significant one was to Expertise, which now costs MP and provides an...

“finally found the stirge nest”

I think these things are related, and it’s not just Edwards who does this. While there is something special about RPGs, it seems common to forget or neglect that they’re also still games. Until that changes, it’s going to be difficult to bridge that gap and cross-pollinate ideas from other types...

It clashes. I won’t say it’s not important, but I will say it depends on the agenda. Just like being a neutral referee is not appropriate for certain styles of play, being a fan of the PCs is likewise not appropriate. In a game like Dungeon World, my job as the GM is to provide the PCs with...

My point was about subsequent development. There has been considerable discourse regarding Story Now but comparatively little about Step On Up. At the very least, I’d want to align the terminology with that used in other gaming (such as PvE in place of “Step On Up” and PvP in place of “Challenge”).

I am running a sandbox-style game and designing a homebrew system to support it. My goal is to be a neutral referee. I sometimes call this “campaign as science experiment”. If I put my thumb on things, I am undermining the integrity of experiment (seeing whether the PCs can accomplishment their...

I dislike the GDS and GNS definitions of gamism. I think the GDS definition is actually problematic in that it’s clearly set up as a containment policy for gamists. GNS at least recognizes that problem, but I’m still not fond of the definition it provides. I don’t like the axes of competition...

A number of different games have influenced the design of my homebrew system (and I keep a list, so I can acknowledge that influence), but there are also problems I have to solve that don’t map neatly to other mechanics or constraints or design intentions that preclude them. There’s a synthesis...

On another site that uses XenForo, they allow unlimited edits, but if someone abuses the feature, they have a setting that allows them to put a limit on just that user. It seems like that kind of approach would work here should someone do likewise.

My homebrew system does not specifically address “immersion”, but it’s also just a mess of notes and stuff in Scrivener at the moment, so I can’t say exactly what final form it will take. It does do a few things that I think are helpful for immersion: It’s transparent about how mechanics work...

If you want something short for 1st level characters, check out Winter’s Daughter. It’s written for OSE, but it should be easily usable with Shadowdark.

That was the perfect time for the paladin to act. The cleric’s player seems to want more control over what happens than he would afford the other players.

The paladin acted according to his nature (and what the tenets, edicts, and anathema he is expected to follow demand). That strikes me as pretty reasonable, especially if the story is supposed to be a “ struggle between good and evil”. What is a struggle without conflict?

Your campaign is conflicted about its nature. You call it a sandbox, but the play you describe is more like a traditional, curated, story-based campaign. The PCs can make some choices, but they’re still doing tasks for NPCs, and you have intentions for how certain situations should be...