sukael
First Post
I'd have to agree with this sort of view of things.
Game Mechanics that cannot be "Justified"
I'd have to agree with this sort of view of things.
I think, as Stalker0 shows, that you have perhaps a different idea of what qualifies as "cannot be justified" as some others here.
Most games simulate a lot of things with die rolls - random chance. Do you have any trouble justifying those?
The card mechanic you mention is just another form of randomizer, with a different probability distributions. So, I see no problem justifying this - magic in the world is not deterministic, and the card deck merely simulates the randomness inherent in magic.
Jackelope King
First Post
If a mechanic doesn't serve to simulate actions in the game-world (i.e. "cannot be 'justified'" in-game), then it can still serve to promote the overall narrative feel of the game (Dread's Jenga-tower, for instance) or just be to make the game more fun (such as random starting hands as you describe). All of these can be "justified" in terms of how it helps to make the game better: it doesn't begin and end with simulation.
ExploderWizard
Hero
Justification can be seen as being intertwined with the world as defined.
For example, this mechanic doesn't work in RAW D&D. The world asumption is that magic is a force that can be manipulated in predictable ways. Wizards master arcane magic through study, priests control divine magic through prayer ( or pray for specific miracles which are granted by the gods). While certain elements of a particular spell are uncertain, such as the damage variable, how many targets are affected, ect. the general effect of the spell as well as the frequency of its use are generally known.
If we were to replace all D&D magic with a chaotic magic variant in which all users of magic simply act as conduits of unpredictable energy with no way to control that energy or even know what form it might take on any given day, then such a mechanic is not only justified but almost required.
For example, this mechanic doesn't work in RAW D&D. The world asumption is that magic is a force that can be manipulated in predictable ways. Wizards master arcane magic through study, priests control divine magic through prayer ( or pray for specific miracles which are granted by the gods). While certain elements of a particular spell are uncertain, such as the damage variable, how many targets are affected, ect. the general effect of the spell as well as the frequency of its use are generally known.
If we were to replace all D&D magic with a chaotic magic variant in which all users of magic simply act as conduits of unpredictable energy with no way to control that energy or even know what form it might take on any given day, then such a mechanic is not only justified but almost required.
I think they're absolutely fine. The RPG character as a card deck idea is one that really should have been done by now.
Really, it depends on what "level" the mechanic functions. A game mechanic like a die roll functions far behind the screens, so the fact that its arbitrary and weird (what long jumper has the distance they jump typically vary across a 20 foot range?) doesn't matter much.
Really, it depends on what "level" the mechanic functions. A game mechanic like a die roll functions far behind the screens, so the fact that its arbitrary and weird (what long jumper has the distance they jump typically vary across a 20 foot range?) doesn't matter much.
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