I don't know how much interest in the community there is for this, but it's the sort of thing that I'd love to see.
I'd call my column an orc by any other name. The idea is to take some contentious/unloved element of the game and to put a re-skin spin on it, to make it palatable and appropriate for people that don't like it as written. The emphasis is on re-skin, I'd change very little (if any) mechanics--only the flavor or background of the element in question. I want to showcase how a creative player or DM can adjust the narrative to meet their preferences. I'd give a few examples and invite the readers to supplement with their own suggestions. In time, readers would have several options to customize their play experience without having to necessarily depend on a particular set of mechanics.
Don't like orcs? Use the stats for orcs, but make them a tribe of humans that were exposed to the corrupting blood of a dying god of war and bloodshed. Or give them a Klingon-esque culture that's obsessed with honor, and the only real way to gain honor is through conquest. Or make them mutant dwarves from the Underdark that have degenerated into savagery after taking up residence in caverns contaminated by radioactive materials.
Don't like rapiers in a world where heavy plate armor is in common use? Then take rapiers out and let people use Weapon Finesse with scimitars (which are nearly identical in game terms anyway) for the rogue-types that like fast, agile swords.
Don't like Vancian magic? Use the mechanics, but change it so that their preparation time is a ritual spellcasting session where they conjure forth the power of the cosmos, leaving one critical gesture (somatic component) or phrase (verbal component) undone, effectively "pausing" the spell until needed--the power of the spell is released when they finally complete the ritual. Or make it so that a wizard's spell reparation time is a trance where they commune with their mystic ancestors and learn ancient secrets from the wizards that have come before. Their "spellbooks" are accounts of the ancient wizards with whom the seek to commune, and each individual spell is prepared from an ancient "patron wizard" that joins an arcane afterlife where other wizards can commune with them. Or make it into a time where the wizard must meditate to balance contesting mystical energies within their body. The spellbook becomes a set of ritual tools designed to purge their bodies and teach them discipline, such as special oils that must be applied to their tongues or henna tattoos that must be applied to their hands and vanish when the spell is cast.
I'd call my column an orc by any other name. The idea is to take some contentious/unloved element of the game and to put a re-skin spin on it, to make it palatable and appropriate for people that don't like it as written. The emphasis is on re-skin, I'd change very little (if any) mechanics--only the flavor or background of the element in question. I want to showcase how a creative player or DM can adjust the narrative to meet their preferences. I'd give a few examples and invite the readers to supplement with their own suggestions. In time, readers would have several options to customize their play experience without having to necessarily depend on a particular set of mechanics.
Don't like orcs? Use the stats for orcs, but make them a tribe of humans that were exposed to the corrupting blood of a dying god of war and bloodshed. Or give them a Klingon-esque culture that's obsessed with honor, and the only real way to gain honor is through conquest. Or make them mutant dwarves from the Underdark that have degenerated into savagery after taking up residence in caverns contaminated by radioactive materials.
Don't like rapiers in a world where heavy plate armor is in common use? Then take rapiers out and let people use Weapon Finesse with scimitars (which are nearly identical in game terms anyway) for the rogue-types that like fast, agile swords.
Don't like Vancian magic? Use the mechanics, but change it so that their preparation time is a ritual spellcasting session where they conjure forth the power of the cosmos, leaving one critical gesture (somatic component) or phrase (verbal component) undone, effectively "pausing" the spell until needed--the power of the spell is released when they finally complete the ritual. Or make it so that a wizard's spell reparation time is a trance where they commune with their mystic ancestors and learn ancient secrets from the wizards that have come before. Their "spellbooks" are accounts of the ancient wizards with whom the seek to commune, and each individual spell is prepared from an ancient "patron wizard" that joins an arcane afterlife where other wizards can commune with them. Or make it into a time where the wizard must meditate to balance contesting mystical energies within their body. The spellbook becomes a set of ritual tools designed to purge their bodies and teach them discipline, such as special oils that must be applied to their tongues or henna tattoos that must be applied to their hands and vanish when the spell is cast.
