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<blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 8935047" data-attributes="member: 82106">I used to run this super light story game where each PC just has 2 attributes, each is a 1-3 word 'aspect'. You split 7 points between the two. No dice, if you can explain how an attribute helps you, then it's points are added to your total. After that you can add points from your pool. GM does the same, high man wins. You can borrow points from the GM too, though it'll come back on you.Really has no other rules, setting, genre, nothing. About as basic as an RPG can get.Well, I prefer to think of it as kind of a set of constraints which insure that (assuming some modest standard of play) the fiction and the mechanics have something to say for each other. Honestly, my feeling about 4e is that it is a very clever design in terms of providing these constraints and guidelines, particularly for content developers, and yet not really hitting you over the head with them. I mean, not a ton is said about the CONCEPT of keywords, and they do very little on their own, but the cool thing was, the richer the 4e content got, the more things they could do for you. And they REALLY take off when players start getting creative! However, in defense of more 'narrative' descriptions of things, like classic D&amp;D spells, they can serve a similar purpose. Like, my sister had the power Stinking Cloud and we used the, fairly basic, text description of the power as a basis for her devising an ad-hoc ritual to generate a cloud of poisonous vapor to pour down into a germlaine lair. Obviously the keywords 'poison' and 'zone' coupled with the other mechanical elements are supporting the whole interpretation, but its the &quot;You call forth a thick cloud of bilious yellow vapors. The foul fumes overwhelm any creature within.&quot; that is really doing the work here.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="AbdulAlhazred, post: 8935047, member: 82106"] I used to run this super light story game where each PC just has 2 attributes, each is a 1-3 word 'aspect'. You split 7 points between the two. No dice, if you can explain how an attribute helps you, then it's points are added to your total. After that you can add points from your pool. GM does the same, high man wins. You can borrow points from the GM too, though it'll come back on you. Really has no other rules, setting, genre, nothing. About as basic as an RPG can get. Well, I prefer to think of it as kind of a set of constraints which insure that (assuming some modest standard of play) the fiction and the mechanics have something to say for each other. Honestly, my feeling about 4e is that it is a very clever design in terms of providing these constraints and guidelines, particularly for content developers, and yet not really hitting you over the head with them. I mean, not a ton is said about the CONCEPT of keywords, and they do very little on their own, but the cool thing was, the richer the 4e content got, the more things they could do for you. And they REALLY take off when players start getting creative! However, in defense of more 'narrative' descriptions of things, like classic D&D spells, they can serve a similar purpose. Like, my sister had the power Stinking Cloud and we used the, fairly basic, text description of the power as a basis for her devising an ad-hoc ritual to generate a cloud of poisonous vapor to pour down into a germlaine lair. Obviously the keywords 'poison' and 'zone' coupled with the other mechanical elements are supporting the whole interpretation, but its the "[I]You call forth a thick cloud of bilious yellow vapors. The foul fumes overwhelm any creature within." [/I]that is really doing the work here. [I][/I] [/QUOTE]

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