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<blockquote data-quote="Deset Gled" data-source="post: 8076202" data-attributes="member: 7808">There's one principle that you hint at in a number of these, but I think deserves it's own point: Scalability.Scalability 1).&nbsp; In-game mechanics.&nbsp; The &quot;basic&quot; rules that you learn at level 1 should still apply at level 20 (or higher).&nbsp; This is actually really difficult to manage.&nbsp; Sometimes the rules get so complex that the basic mechanics get forgotten.&nbsp; Sometimes the numbers get so ridiculously high that they become cumbersome to play with.&nbsp; If you don't plan for mechanical scalability from the ground up, it's basically impossible to patch it in later.&nbsp; Picking limits (top and bottom levels, stages of advancement, etc) is the most common first step to addressing this.Scalability 2).&nbsp; Rules complexity and the meta-game.&nbsp; If a set of rules is so complex that a beginner can't sit down and play an RPG in the first XX minutes, people will complain that it's too hard to get people into the game, or even that it's exclusionary.&nbsp; OTOH, if a game is too simple, veteran players can get bored and high level play becomes same-y.&nbsp; Learning curves, capability plateaus, and powergaming must be considered.&nbsp; In most cases, deciding the market of players that you are aiming for is the critical first step in figuring out how to deal with this.This style of game design seems to be coming up a lot more often in discussions.&nbsp; I can't tell if it's a natural result of RPGs becoming a bit more mainstream, an effect of 5e being inherently more rules light than previous editions, or just me hanging out at the wrong gaming site.&nbsp; But it's a trend I have a strong desire to push back against.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Deset Gled, post: 8076202, member: 7808"] There's one principle that you hint at in a number of these, but I think deserves it's own point: Scalability. Scalability 1). In-game mechanics. The "basic" rules that you learn at level 1 should still apply at level 20 (or higher). This is actually really difficult to manage. Sometimes the rules get so complex that the basic mechanics get forgotten. Sometimes the numbers get so ridiculously high that they become cumbersome to play with. If you don't plan for mechanical scalability from the ground up, it's basically impossible to patch it in later. Picking limits (top and bottom levels, stages of advancement, etc) is the most common first step to addressing this. Scalability 2). Rules complexity and the meta-game. If a set of rules is so complex that a beginner can't sit down and play an RPG in the first XX minutes, people will complain that it's too hard to get people into the game, or even that it's exclusionary. OTOH, if a game is too simple, veteran players can get bored and high level play becomes same-y. Learning curves, capability plateaus, and powergaming must be considered. In most cases, deciding the market of players that you are aiming for is the critical first step in figuring out how to deal with this. This style of game design seems to be coming up a lot more often in discussions. I can't tell if it's a natural result of RPGs becoming a bit more mainstream, an effect of 5e being inherently more rules light than previous editions, or just me hanging out at the wrong gaming site. But it's a trend I have a strong desire to push back against. [/QUOTE]

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