Here's a blurb from the press release:
"So, first off, let’s talk about game mechanics. In the same way that EQrpg was compatible with 3rd Edition fantasy role-playing, EQIIrpg runs quite easily alongside v.3.5 game rules. But the game as a whole uses a more streamlined, sleeker rule-set. We’ve eliminated a number of things — like attacks of opportunity — which have caused no end of confusion at the gaming table in the last few years. Skills and skill points are far easier to manage (no half skill ranks or cross-class skills, for example). To better reflect the way avoidance and damage mitigation work in online play, we’ve incorporated a simple defense bonus that increases with character level, just like the base attack bonus. Armor now provides damage reduction rather than a bonus to Armor Class (in fact, there is no more AC, so no more worrying about “AC/touch AC/flat-footed AC” and so on). And with all that, we’ve managed to keep all the cool little things that always separated EQrpg from normal 3rd Edition gaming: mana points, recast times, weapon delay, the neat races and classes, and so forth."
Sounds like they managed to make the mechanics different enough to be interesting. Wonder how well it all stacks together compared with the original EQRPG.
Hagen
"So, first off, let’s talk about game mechanics. In the same way that EQrpg was compatible with 3rd Edition fantasy role-playing, EQIIrpg runs quite easily alongside v.3.5 game rules. But the game as a whole uses a more streamlined, sleeker rule-set. We’ve eliminated a number of things — like attacks of opportunity — which have caused no end of confusion at the gaming table in the last few years. Skills and skill points are far easier to manage (no half skill ranks or cross-class skills, for example). To better reflect the way avoidance and damage mitigation work in online play, we’ve incorporated a simple defense bonus that increases with character level, just like the base attack bonus. Armor now provides damage reduction rather than a bonus to Armor Class (in fact, there is no more AC, so no more worrying about “AC/touch AC/flat-footed AC” and so on). And with all that, we’ve managed to keep all the cool little things that always separated EQrpg from normal 3rd Edition gaming: mana points, recast times, weapon delay, the neat races and classes, and so forth."
Sounds like they managed to make the mechanics different enough to be interesting. Wonder how well it all stacks together compared with the original EQRPG.
Hagen
