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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Henry" data-source="post: 148564" data-attributes="member: 158">To me, the RPG hobby is about sharing an imagined fantasy, and spending time with friends. To this end, the game system needs to both facilitate this and be as transparent as possible. The one problem with most game systems available is the lack of capacity for evolution. A writer may come along, and fix the most glaring errors of a system, but in the end, it has not been completely matched to the experience it provides, despite what its supporters say (because it is, after all, a human endeavor) and therefore, does not get better by leaps and bounds. It took THREE WHOLE EDITIONS for Shadowrun to attain status as playable game, in my opinion, and even now, rarely will a GM run it in our area with more than four or five players present, due to the time constraints of the resolution of actions. d20 still suffers from not being able to make results both plausible and short. White wolf suffers from major problems at certain combinations of powers and skills, and can sometimes be too open-ended for the resolution of some actions. A game always has problems representing the setting completely transparently.So along comes the idea of an evolutionary-capable game. Millions of pairs of hands work on the game system, finding what works, what doesn't, they keep and publicize what works, and they kill off the rest in a darwinian fashion due to lack of interest.Eventually, you have a game system whose parts do not resemble what they were years ago at its founding. Sets of interchangeable rules develop, around one central core resolution mechanic that does not change. A truly facilitated and transparent game begins to form.This is the promise of d20, and why it is quickly catching on. The select few gamers (such as myself) who frequent these boards who can easily learn new systems, because it is their hobby to do so, are NOT the majority. As Vaxalon says, if the hobby is to grow, you must have a standard for beginners to latch on to. Model car enthusiasts do not start with the baddest, toughest car they can find; they start with the beginner kits first. For the majority of model car hobbyists, they never leave those multiplicity of beginner sets; only the true enthusiast tackle more difficult concepts.Think about this for a minute.</blockquote>

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