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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jürgen Hubert" data-source="post: 2349195" data-attributes="member: 7177">Easy - focus on expanding the settings as opposed to the rules. If you have to invent new mechanics, you should weld them tightly to settings - or to option books exploring certain genres (where they might replace some of the old mechanics to reduce excess complexity). Every time a new mechanic is introduced, it should only be done for a damn good reason related to a specific setting (or presented as true variants that change some of the core assumptions of D&D - such as the magic variants from Unearthed Arcana - thus requiring the DM to choose between the new mechanics or the old ones).What we have now is essentially: "Here are new ways for your characters to gain Cool Powers!" It all adds and adds to the complexity of the rules without substracting any complexity from them. The temptation to use them all is great - after all, who doesn't like more "options" and "flexibility"? But D&D was never designed from the ground up to be as flexible as some other rule systems (such as GURPS) - and in trying to be able to do everything by adding new mechanics instead of focusing on what it is good at, it only ends up getting smothered by its own rules.Sure, someone is likely to point out that the DM can always refuse to allow such new additions. But what is he supposed to tell his players? "Sorry, you can't use the new rules from that book you just spent 20 bucks on"?To sum it up: Don't do new mechanics as rule additions, but as rule variants.</blockquote>

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