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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Desdichado" data-source="post: 303482" data-attributes="member: 2205">Quite likely!  At least we're down to cleaning up the last little bits of stuff we don't mutually understand, at least!Would it have had to?  The point buy chargen method only takes, what, half a page or so to explain?  And how difficult was it, really, to come up with those mechanics?  How much of a design challenge would it really be to take the next obvious step and include a half-page text box on point-buy advancement, instead of levelling?  Especially if they have access to the mathematical models that the system is based on?  And do they really have to market it?  The entire rpg community outside of D&D constanly complains that they can't get away from D&D.Except that the OGL makes this complaint not hold much water.  If they're truly trying to build a universal system, then you have to truly be universal.  I.e., the system has to be able to accomodate other play styles besides standard D&D.  Arguably, games like Star Wars and The Wheel of Time play out much like D&D in most respects.  Call of Cthulhu obviously doesn't, but the levelling really sits uncomfortably in that system as well.Anyway, I can't see how it's worse PR anyway.  It's just doing wha they're already doing, just doing it a little bit better.Eh, I won't argue with you there.  As I said earlier, stepping away from D&D in the late 80s and pretty much all through the 90s exposed me to a lot of other RPG ideas, much of which were pretty good.Which brings us full circle to the overlooked complaint I made earlier, that 3rd party companies have so far been reluctant to really "stretch" the system much.  We have a good alternative magic system or three, lots of alternative classes, gazillions of prestige classes, feats, equipment and even skills, even an OGL game (Spycraft) that does action points and VP/WP.  But nobody'd yet really tried to stretch the system to see if it can do something radically different.Except WotC itself in Call of Cthulhu, actually.  Which is an interesting counterpoint to the idea that the 3rd party companies were supposed to do that kind of thing.  But I agree that you're right; in theory that's what was supposed to happen, and probably --eventually-- will.</blockquote>

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