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<blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 8607725" data-attributes="member: 71699">EDIT: It strikes me that the answers are always - and I believe necessarily and helpfully - incomplete. Which RPG differentiates a merlin from say a condor? Which concerns itself with merlin acceleration and deceleration? It's radii to turn, pitch and yaw? It's ability to hold a course in gusts of various knots? What wind speed gives it sufficient lift to glide? I don't recall an RPG where such details were all simulated. Going back to my &quot;it's all pretend anyway&quot; point - RPG designers are always, always picking what is worthwhile to simulate. Even in those games dubbed simulationist, it is not how extensively or precisely they simulate the real-world that is best about them.I played RQ for years, and that wasn't because crushes to chest felt especially realistic compared to alternatives like the DQ crit table entries, or D&amp;D hit points. It was the fascination with Glorantha, rune magic, Mistress Race trolls. The scale of giants. Cults. Dream dragons. Most of which simulated ideas, not (real world) realities.That's a good observation. Flight speed isn't the only lever for balance, but it is a lever. And those with gamist agendas often (but do not always) value balance.I will emphasise - &quot;in most cases&quot;. Where no one can turn into a hawk or aims to employ the power to do so with a gamist agenda, the accuracy, inaccuracy or silence on hawk speed will not impinge. In saying &quot;most&quot;, by way of salient evidence I have recorded all characters over several years of D&amp;D campaigns and druids that could turn into a flying creature like a hawk were present for 26 out of 134 sessions. Druids were 2/24 characters. The actual number of sessions where natural flying speeds mattered is about 14, because after that the druid accessed forms with no real-world parallel.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="clearstream, post: 8607725, member: 71699"] EDIT: It strikes me that the answers are always - and I believe necessarily and [I]helpfully - [/I]incomplete. Which RPG differentiates a merlin from say a condor? Which concerns itself with merlin acceleration and deceleration? It's radii to turn, pitch and yaw? It's ability to hold a course in gusts of various knots? What wind speed gives it sufficient lift to glide? I don't recall an RPG where such details were all simulated. Going back to my "it's all pretend anyway" point - RPG designers are always, [I]always[/I] picking what is worthwhile to simulate. Even in those games dubbed simulationist, it is not how extensively or precisely they simulate the real-world that is best about them. I played RQ for years, and that wasn't because crushes to chest felt especially realistic compared to alternatives like the DQ crit table entries, or D&D hit points. It was the fascination with Glorantha, rune magic, Mistress Race trolls. The scale of giants. Cults. Dream dragons. Most of which simulated ideas, not (real world) realities. That's a good observation. Flight speed isn't the only lever for balance, but it is [I]a[/I] lever. And those with gamist agendas often (but do not always) value balance. I will emphasise - "in [I]most[/I] cases". Where no one can turn into a hawk or aims to employ the power to do so with a gamist agenda, the accuracy, inaccuracy or silence on hawk speed will not impinge. In saying "most", by way of salient evidence I have recorded all characters over several years of D&D campaigns and druids that could turn into a flying creature like a hawk were present for 26 out of 134 sessions. Druids were 2/24 characters. The actual number of sessions where natural flying speeds mattered is about 14, because after that the druid accessed forms with no real-world parallel. [/QUOTE]

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