Search results

What I want from a skill system? - It should be reasonably complete. If something is obviously more a result of specialized training than of general ability, there should be a skill that handles this. Things that are obviously advantages (and that should be treated this way in game, instead of...

I'm not sure if anybody mentioned them here already, so I'd add two more games to the list. Mouse Guard is non-magical fantasy where PCs are mice. It may seem funny at first and intended for children only, but it is not; the setting that makes nearly everything you encounter bigger and more...

HP threshold would be fine for me (even more: would be my favorite spell design pattern) if: - thresholds were compared to current, not maximum, HP - thresholds were randomized, not constant - each spell had at least a minor effect on targets above the threshold This way, is should be possible...

There are three main reasons for using classes (or something similar) in a RPG game: tactical roles, genre roles and story roles. Tactical roles are simple. You want the game to challenge player skills with some kind of challenge (usually, but not necessarily, combat) and you want to focus on...

The matter is - what I'm describing is not a theoretical analysis based on what some people wrote in their blogs. I would probably never care for various Forge theories if not for one thing. It just works for me and my friends. I played in games where the whole group had common expectations...

I don't have a single favorite game, but I have a few that I love, each for a different reason. Dogs in the Vineyard - the game is not about succeeding or not - it is about choosing what you want and how far you're going to go to get it - mechanics that really supports the main focus of the...

If mechanical optimization gets in the way of interesting characters and fun play, it is, in my opinion, a fault of system and its authors, not players. It's a problem that comes from inconsistent design and giving people contradictory directions. The game focuses on combat; most of the page...

I'm going to both answer the questions and comment on the questionnaire. I hope it won't get too confusing. ;) Answer: Definitely fantasy. Urban fantasy/ modern occult at second place, sci-fi third. Comment: I think you are mixing settings and genres here. You can have a detective game in...

While I never considered burning my books (maybe because I don't have any D&D books in paper), there are several D&D features and tropes that really annoy me: 1. Complexity of the system and the amount of mechanical material available. If I need an hour or more just to make sure that a...

I'd never roll for stats when creating a character for a long campaign. But I also play a lot of one-shots and short (2-3 sessions) stories. And for such games, I prefer rolling - especially when the rolls tell me what kind of character I will play, not only how strong he is (so, something...

I love the HP thresholds as an idea, but don't like the implementation. The main reason for using the thresholds is tying magical SoD effects to the HP track (aka "how far am I from losing" track). This way, powerful spells need other characters' efforts, instead of making them meaningless. A...

For me role-playing games and story games are classifications that go in different directions. They have a big overlap, but neither is contained in the other. Calling a game a "story game" is about what it aims for: creation of an interesting story by a group of people. Calling a game a...

Sex and romance don't happen very often in our games, but they definitely aren't absent. In each campaign there is at least one serious relationship, and sometimes a few minor "encounters". My characters quite often start campaigns single and end married. We never roleplay sex itself, though...

I'll add my voice to all the people that suggest changing the system. Move away from D&D, d20 and everything d20-like for a while - or maybe for a long while, if you find that some other game suits you and your group better. Try several different games, if you can. I suggest trying at least 2...

I play a lot of different styles. I use different games for them. So, while I have no single preferred playstyle, there is a style I hope D&D can support. The basic characteristics of this style are: 1. Strong system I want rules, not guidelines. They may (and should) be abstract and...

It is also a matter of what the "actions" you describe are. If you put something in GM's part of the rulebook, it should be a guide for adjudicating and resolving situations, strongly based on the fictional situation. It should be something that any action that PCs take may be resolved with. If...

Opposed rolls may slow game down significantly if there is a lot of rolling. In such cases, I'd strongly prefer only players rolling. But if there is only a moderate number of rolls in a scene, the increase in handling time is negligible. Opposed rolls are nice in many cases, because they...

There is also Unknown Armies, with very light and flexible rules and really interesting fluff (though it may be too strange and postmodern in style for some people). That's also the only game I know that begins it's combat chapter with a list of methods one may use to avoid a fight and reasons...

I really like what I'm seeing in this thread. Great ideas, guys! The cantrip/spell/ritual offers a lot of flexibility in giving each spellcasting class a different "feel". Wizards may be the default, with limited slots and ritual casting. Clerics may also have access to rituals, but cast spells...

Low-to-mid level, about 6. But it should be a severely limited version, with low speed, high risk and required concentration. Around level 15 in 20-level scale. At this point, there are more interesting things to do than climbing and walking. 1. It should require concentration. That means no...