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My feelings were the use of action points or and similar mechanisms is to actually remove the easy access of raise dead. I guess I would do the same with stun and paralysis effects, action points can be used to try and mediate the condition (use an action point to initiate an action, allow...

One question though is 'are certain threats still existent.' You can make the argument that death is one of the worst things to happen to a player as they are taken out of the game for long periods of time. The designers can make all sorts of rules to help mediate death (hero points, action...

That was really one of the major points of the development of conflict resolution (vs task resolution), that intent was critically important.

Sure you can. But say it is a different situation. Say you are playing a heroic game and you don't want the PCs to die in anything less than a heroic fashion or situation. D&D has no rules for this (and frankly is not the preferred system for this type of game but using it as an example)...

That is fine to do. What we are saying is that some games have rules that say "no conflict" (which is what is happening above) then just say Yes (basically the PCs get their way). These allow you to play the game without having to "break" the rules.

Prof, I dont think you and Buzz are arguing about the same thing necessarily. Your rules are more like variations to the setting. Normally one cant detect magic with psi, but with some hard work in your world they can....that is really a setting-type of issues (as the 'physics' of the world...

Well say historically wizards have been more powerful than fighters. Which basically means that they have the ability to impact the narrative to a greater extent than fighters. One option is to make magic riskier more difficult to use, weaker etc. Another option is to make the fighter more...

I am familiar with that situation. Helped write a provisional patent and had to be at the meetings with the patent attorneys in biotech and pharma and I swear they would have debated the ability to patent the ability to produce H2O by melting snow. Honestly I have a dickens of a time figuring...

Can you extend general patents like you can with drug patents (what I am more familiar with)?

I think drama points that allow control of the narrative like what you described are a great idea. Actually I had thought that they might also be a possible way to balance characters as well (weaker characters get more drama points or while more powerful characters get fewer).

Another great post and i agree fully. If you don't want PC death to be an option, then the game rules should be such that it is not an option. If it is important for PC death to be an option (to say create a form of tension) then 'cheating' when it happens to ameliorate this result makes it...

That was a great analysis to the issue. Why have the stake in a resolution that would destroy the game. Either the resolution result is an illusion (the DM basically has it so they really cant fail in which case why roll dice at all) or the result is disastrous.

While i have always liked the Vancian system, the issue is more that if you don't want to play a dungeon then the system is harder to balance. I think maybe if preparation took a week or a month (can only prepare on the nights of the full moon etc.) then it would be less of a problem and...

I definitely agree that a-e are better limitations for magic (or other powerful effects) than per day.

I dont mind the part about the player sacrificing rounds for a large effect, for me as a player that is fun. There can definitely be issues for some individuals with the risk type of magic as you mentioned, i just don't happen to think it is an issue for my gaming style (like all of this it is...

I think using actions as currency can be a good idea. Possibly lowering long-term risk by using more actions (increasing short-term risk) to cast a spell. One advantage to this is that defending the wizard becomes very important as they might require several rounds to loose a powerful spell...

I tend to align with you. I want wizards capable of a scope that fighters (mundane characters) cannot replicate. It is how i envision magic, dark and dangerous. I prefer options b, c and d (i really like b and c). You can balance magic by making powerful but risky. That way a wizard can unload...

I think this is a good point particularly in a level-based game that focuses on series of combat encounters (where your power 'level' in a fight really are of maximal importance). Probably why I think the game should finally just scrap levels altogether.

I think the best advice I ever got was to let the players come up with the plot that way they are less likely to stray. And yes I am serious. The players tell me what is important to their characters and want to do and everything evolves from that.

The list that you can compile of things D&D can do that WoW can't is basically limitless while you can pretty much make a short list of the the stuff that WoW can accomplish that D&D can't. Can you have sex with the barkeep in WoW..no Destroy a nation...no Can you kidnap the king and ransom...