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Flavour First vs Game First - a comparison
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<blockquote data-quote="Andre" data-source="post: 4456784" data-attributes="member: 25930"><p>While I agree that both good flavor and good mechanics are necessary to a good system, how one goes about designing that system makes a difference.</p><p></p><p>It seems to me that a flavour-first design is best for a "rulings-based" system, while mechanics-first works best for a "rules-based" system. Early versions of DnD tended to be rulings-based, as there were so many situations not covered by the rules. 3E and 4E tend to be much tighter designs, with more standardized mechanics, e.g., d20 + modifiers.</p><p></p><p>Each has its drawbacks. Flavor-first tends to put more responsibility on the GM's shoulders. This makes the game much more dependent on the quality and experience of the GM. Mechanics-first removes some of that responsibility, but potentially at the cost of everything feeling the same. A perfect example of the latter are the complaints that different classes have the same powers, just different flavor text.</p><p></p><p>An example of what I'm referring to: True Strike.</p><p></p><p>Mechanics-first. "You gain temporary, intuitive insight into the immediate future during your next attack. Your next single attack roll (if it is made before the end of the next round) gains a +20 insight bonus. Additionally, you are not affected by the miss chance that applies to attackers trying to strike a concealed target. Focus: A small wooden replica of an archery target."</p><p></p><p>Neat, simple, to the point. No question how it works in play. No real flavor, though. This could just as easily be a rule from a boardgame, or a card in MtG.</p><p></p><p>Flavor-first. "Closing your eyes, you attempt to shut out the distractions of the world around you. Navigating through the mists of the spellweave, you spy glimpses of past, future, and present. One such image is seared into your mind - an image of the world just seconds away. You snap out of the trance, knowing with certainty where your enemies will be. This power grants you a +20 bonus to your next attack, so long as it occurs within the timeframe of your vision."</p><p></p><p>(Kindly ignore cheesy text...<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />)</p><p></p><p>This one's a bit trickier. You know how you gained the bonus, but by defining where the effect comes from, lots of questions come up. Are there any in-game consequences of closing your eyes? How long are you in the trance? Can you misinterpret the vision, actually gaining a penalty to your attack? Can you use this spell to gain other knowledge, for example, knowing that a comrade will be struck done shortly?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Andre, post: 4456784, member: 25930"] While I agree that both good flavor and good mechanics are necessary to a good system, how one goes about designing that system makes a difference. It seems to me that a flavour-first design is best for a "rulings-based" system, while mechanics-first works best for a "rules-based" system. Early versions of DnD tended to be rulings-based, as there were so many situations not covered by the rules. 3E and 4E tend to be much tighter designs, with more standardized mechanics, e.g., d20 + modifiers. Each has its drawbacks. Flavor-first tends to put more responsibility on the GM's shoulders. This makes the game much more dependent on the quality and experience of the GM. Mechanics-first removes some of that responsibility, but potentially at the cost of everything feeling the same. A perfect example of the latter are the complaints that different classes have the same powers, just different flavor text. An example of what I'm referring to: True Strike. Mechanics-first. "You gain temporary, intuitive insight into the immediate future during your next attack. Your next single attack roll (if it is made before the end of the next round) gains a +20 insight bonus. Additionally, you are not affected by the miss chance that applies to attackers trying to strike a concealed target. Focus: A small wooden replica of an archery target." Neat, simple, to the point. No question how it works in play. No real flavor, though. This could just as easily be a rule from a boardgame, or a card in MtG. Flavor-first. "Closing your eyes, you attempt to shut out the distractions of the world around you. Navigating through the mists of the spellweave, you spy glimpses of past, future, and present. One such image is seared into your mind - an image of the world just seconds away. You snap out of the trance, knowing with certainty where your enemies will be. This power grants you a +20 bonus to your next attack, so long as it occurs within the timeframe of your vision." (Kindly ignore cheesy text...:)) This one's a bit trickier. You know how you gained the bonus, but by defining where the effect comes from, lots of questions come up. Are there any in-game consequences of closing your eyes? How long are you in the trance? Can you misinterpret the vision, actually gaining a penalty to your attack? Can you use this spell to gain other knowledge, for example, knowing that a comrade will be struck done shortly? [/QUOTE]
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