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A few random thoughts on the topic: 1. Make sure that the system you make does not go against what your players find fun. If they optimize because they like it, a system that prevents them from doing that will give them less fun. On the other hand, if they optimize because they feel it's...

No. What I mean is effects that remain active for hours, days or weeks, not for rounds. That's for "charm-type" - effects that push characters towards specific behavior (for example, by penalizing or outright disallowing specific actions), but leave control of the character in player's hands...

I generally dislike effects that instantly kill characters or make them unplayable for a long time. Honestly, I dislike any effects that kill characters without it explicitly being put at stake by the player (including the assumption that it is at stake in every combat). On the other hand, I...

Then the question is what do you mean by "true gods". For most of our world history, "gods" meant just "powerful beings who control some aspects of reality". In D&D high level spellcasters satisfy this definition and creatures described as deities in the books do it for sure. Most D&D deities...

I agree that this is a GM call. On the other hand, I completely don't understand the reasoning behind the GM's decision here. If the character had been in the desert and had met the monster, they wouldn't need a roll, because they would have the knowledge. The roll is there to decide is the...

Maybe just skip the interrogation in most cases and give players the information they need? Players usually interrogate NPCs because they feel they don't have enough data to make informed decisions and are afraid of missing something important. And when you roleplay the conversation, spice...

This is a matter of group's preferred playstyle (and adventure design style). One approach, which I call "player focused", is that everyone plays who they think is fun and the GM prepares challenges for these specific characters. In one finds playing a trapfinding rogue fun then surely there...

What a god has that a high level spellcaster doesn't, from an in-setting point of view? It's not anybody running a confidence trick. Spellcasters above 10th level are gods by most definitions of this word. Above that it's only a matter of relative power differences between deities.

If something is an issue between characters and not between players than it's not a problem to be solved. Things that players are OK with, but the PCs disagree, are the fun things to roleplay and can often be what drives the action. So if players don't see this as a problem, there is no need for...

That's why I asked in the beginning of this thread what is the scope of games you want to analyze. When you compare DW to various editions of D&D and direct derivatives, it may seem radical. When you compare it to Dogs in the Vineyard, Bliss Stage or Polaris, it feels very traditional. That's...

As always in such a situation, the first thing to be done and the most important is to talk with the player in private. Don't attack them. Explain what you see and how it affects sessions; ask why they do what they do and try to understand. It is possible that your player is a jerk and you need...

For a contrast, in Dungeon World (and other "powered by apocalypse" games) the external modifiers are nearly nonexistent. Rolls are always 2d6+stat. Task difficulty and various circumstances are modeled on another level. They affect availability and necessity of various mechanical tools and...

This I agree with. ;) A good player is willing to experiment and explore new games.

I played and run several games using DW and it works very well in my experience. The GM agenda, principles and moves are golden. DW is the first game I encountered that can be run by a person with no previous RPG experience, or by person who played, but never GMed. At the same time, simple but...

I'm not sure if it's necessarily a trait of a good player. A good player shouldn't be too selective, but it does not mean they will play whatever is offered. Having preferences is definitely not a bad thing. Communicating these preferences in a clear, open and polite way is definitely an...

On a more serious note: 1. Ability to listen and build on other players' input, instead of blocking them. 2. Quick thinking; being able to react to what's happening in game without getting passive or going on autopilot (which often means "mindless violence"). 3. Courage to do what's interesting...

On the most general level, that encompasses all roleplaying games, rules describe making binding statements about the fiction. What are the limitations on each player's narrative powers and what conditions must be met to make a binding declaration. We rarely use this perspective when...

Are you analyzing only D&D-like games, or RPGs in general? I'm asking, because your list seems very narrowly focused and leaving out a great majority of activities that happen in play.

XP awards never worked for me as means to increase player investment in characters. On the other hand, I found several other things that did work: - Incorporating pieces of character backgrounds in the situations I present in game. This make players feel they are a part of the setting, not...

Is it really necessary to make any roll for it? Unless there's something interesting that will happen when players fail this roll, the roll is not necessary. And in this case it looks like the interesting things will be triggered by PCs realizing that who they see are the people from the posters.