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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cthulhudrew" data-source="post: 3972994" data-attributes="member: 4090">Yes and no, really.Obviously, the world was designed as a backdrop campaign world for the BECMI rules sets, but once the Gazetteers began to come out, they increasingly started to create new rules and make changes to the fundamental notions of how things are.The changes pretty much started with Gaz3, which introduced the Secret Crafts (much akin to Prestige Classes of later years). Little by little, additional things were added that changed the underlying BECMI rules:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Elves who progressed as wizards beyond their "max" levels rather than as fighters (Gaz5)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dwarven clerics (Gaz6- breaking the "rule" that race=class)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Halfling Masters (Gaz8- giving clerical/druidic spellcasting to halflings)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Humanoid classes (Gaz10- giving more character options, and providing rules for progressing powerful creatures as characters; not dissimilar to what 3E did with Savage Species)</li> </ul>These were just from the Gaz line. The Voyage of the Princess Ark series and other supplements added new rules as well, notably:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Half-Elves (breaking the "rule" that there were no half-elves on Mystara)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Rakasta and Lupins as races who could choose classes (breaking the race=class separation completely)</li> </ul>Thus, as the world developed, and design needs outgrew the underlying system, changes were wrought and implemented that were outside the scope of the basic BECMI system. The changes didn't break the world that had already been developed, though, just added to it. So I don't think (and, as you may have guessed, have argued) that Mystara is really limited or tied too closely to the original rules to be able to work with other mechanics.That said, though, I think any new version of the world should be as mechanics-free as possible, to make it accessible to the greatest amount of possible interests. IE, it should be developed primarily as fluff, with crunch appearing as sidebars and/or supplements to such for others to use.</blockquote>

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