As I mentioned in another thread, I really like WEGs d6 system and on numerous occasions have toyed with the idea of hacking it into a fantasy system... or for that matter, hacking it to fit whatever genre I was playing at the time.
The problem I find with d20, and for that matter a lot of other game mechanics is the way probabilities of success work. It was one of the reasons I dropped Cyberpunk2020 despite loving the setting and it is one of the reasons I have had trouble getting into GURPS and CoC as a regular game.
In Cyberpunk, task resolution is a standard ATTRIBUTE + SKILL + d10. Attributes generally have a range of 1 to 10, as do skills. On particularly important tasks, such as combat, most of my players had maxed their skills as much as possible and were consequently starting with a base of 15+ before actually rolling the dice. Tasks with a resolution difficulty of less than 15 were ALWAYS going to be successes. Unless of course you use a rule like critical failures, in which case (as some of my players legitimately claimed), no matter how good they got, there was always a chance (say, 10%) of failure. By a similar token, no matter how lucky they got, they were never, never going to succeed at a task with a difficulty of 25+. Not only does this tend to break tension in important moments (ie, players refuse to take certain risks because they know they're doomed to automatic failure), it also encourages mini-maxing as player quickly learn break points and grow skills to fit them. I hacked around with the rules for many months and came to the conclusion that fixing the system would be too difficult and time consuming
d20 is a little bit broader, but has some similar issues. By using a d20, there is a greater range of probabilities, but many of the issues are similar. A fighter with a BAB of +15 knows he will hit the Goblin with AC 15 all the time. Similarly, I have been in a few battles where it became quickly obvious that my opponent had an AC beyond my attack ability (so we quickly retreated and used spells). I was very disappointed when DMing a game and the party rogue suddenly realised that at his low level, it was simply IMPOSSIBLE for him to pick a certain lock on the door he faced. "Don't bother", he said, "the DC is just too high". I suddenly had Cyberpunk flashbacks.
With the d6 system, no matter how difficult a task, it is theoretically possible for a character to complete it (unless the GM applies a flat 'no' ruling). Of course, the more difficult the task and the lower the character's skill level, the more remote the chance of success (to the point where it can be *seriously* remote). By a similar token, no matter how good a character is at a particular task, there is often still a remote chance of failure (as happens in real life). Of course, a bounty hunter with a blaster skill of 7D (pretty damn good) will always hit a DC of 5 (eg, the broadside of a barn), but there is a *remote* chance he'll miss a large, non-moving target (DC10).
I also particularly loved the way the d6 template system worked. A template set your basic inherrent attributes, but did not limit your potential to pursue different career options. eg, I could choose to be a Techie with a DEX of only 2D, but that wouldn't stop me from training to be more than handy with a blaster. I had that choice of how my character developed. In my current D&D campaign, I play an 18th level abjurer. Although he has absolutely no training whatsoever in melee, he could kick the arse of any 1st level warrior in a sword fight without having to resort to spells. I have no choice that part of the character development includes a BAB progression (limited though it may be). In d6, even the most powerful character might still have (very) weak spots. eg, a simple soldier would kick the arse of the Emperor in hand-to-hand combat (unless of course Palpatine resorted to using the force). As a character, he has chosen to forgoe combat skill development (presumably to spend his points elsewhere). Combine this flexibility with the non-linear cost of skill development (meaning, low level skills were quite cheap to boost), and my old Star Wars campaign ended up with some very rich and interestingly developed characters.
As for levels, bah, don't even get me started.
OK - I think I've sputtered on far too long, I think you get the point. I suppose I'll take this opportunity to say that if anyone reads my post and feels in any way similar, please feel free to email me in person.
