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Indeed, putting up a barrier to "optimization" is one good way to go. 100% agreed. A lot of times I made certain "greater" versions of feats off limits, to stymie the laser focus of some of the synergy rules bloodhounds I played with. They'd sniff out advantages 5 levels ahead. Characters became...

I have a fondness for the 3.0/3.5 era. One thing I liked about it was that any concept I dreamed up I could use mechanics to define to get the feel right. However, one of the things that also crushes me under its weight is that there is, indeed, a rule for pretty much everything. The math...

It seems like the majority of Aaron Allston's writing credits at TSR were rather well done. But that book? Spectacular.

I am quite late to this thread, but the Rules Cyclopedia is my all time favorite RPG book. Can't beat BECMI. It was the first ruleset I learned with the big black box rules in the early 1990's. I still know the rules by heart and could probably run it without the rules.

I actually really like the system, in the same way I like the older, wonkier versions of D&D. I see it as an easily modifiable toolkit where I can strip out what I don't want or need and add what I like. I've been a huge fan of it since the early 1990's. I don't mind its hodgepodge nature a bit...

I am a fan of this approach. In my mind, weapons do a set amount of damage just due to physics, and all the variables are the abilities of those using the actual weapon, considering strength, skill, and training. Some weapons are better suited to bypass certain armors or fighting styles also. A...

I tie melee damage die to Strength. What is a weapon but a way to inflict lethal damage via your body? High Str means you do more damage. Using the Rules Cyclopedia/BECMI stat bonues table (my preferred edition), Str 9-12 defaults to 1d6. Then its a progression up and down the dice chain like in...