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Legends and Lore 11/22/2011 - A Different Way to Slice the Pie
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<blockquote data-quote="Crazy Jerome" data-source="post: 5736232" data-attributes="member: 54877"><p>I'm getting some of that same drift from this latest article; thus the vehemence of my first reaction. But do you dislike "design by exception" always, or simply the way it has been done in D&D?</p><p> </p><p>Reason I ask, is that I have no beef with exception-based design when used properly. For example, if most powers (or skils or feats or whatever) can be done on the general, simple plan--then do them that way. For the things that are left, you can introduce 80% of the complexity of the general system, to handle 20% of the items. Or you can keep the core system simple, and have exceptions for the things that are truly exceptions. Or I guess you can go the 4E route, which is not exception-based design but rather make everything a stand-alone "exception". In practice, I find the middle one the most likely to result in useful rules, procedures, etc.</p><p> </p><p>Making exhaustive rules and/or some Rube-Goldberg contraption to systemize every corner case that you want "powers" to cover--bad. Throwing up your hands and making every class have a unique "powers" list--bad.** Making common powers and systemizing them where simple and convenient, and then having a few exceptions for classes (or roles or sources or whatever)--good. If that means that Fighters have one unique 9th level power and Rogues have an extra class features and Clerics have some extra class abilities and "arcane casters" get a few special spells, then fine.</p><p> </p><p>** This is what Sean Reynolds advocated for 4E, building off of 3E/3.5. Not that he wanted that result, but that doing what he advocated would have gotten to there all the same.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Crazy Jerome, post: 5736232, member: 54877"] I'm getting some of that same drift from this latest article; thus the vehemence of my first reaction. But do you dislike "design by exception" always, or simply the way it has been done in D&D? Reason I ask, is that I have no beef with exception-based design when used properly. For example, if most powers (or skils or feats or whatever) can be done on the general, simple plan--then do them that way. For the things that are left, you can introduce 80% of the complexity of the general system, to handle 20% of the items. Or you can keep the core system simple, and have exceptions for the things that are truly exceptions. Or I guess you can go the 4E route, which is not exception-based design but rather make everything a stand-alone "exception". In practice, I find the middle one the most likely to result in useful rules, procedures, etc. Making exhaustive rules and/or some Rube-Goldberg contraption to systemize every corner case that you want "powers" to cover--bad. Throwing up your hands and making every class have a unique "powers" list--bad.** Making common powers and systemizing them where simple and convenient, and then having a few exceptions for classes (or roles or sources or whatever)--good. If that means that Fighters have one unique 9th level power and Rogues have an extra class features and Clerics have some extra class abilities and "arcane casters" get a few special spells, then fine. ** This is what Sean Reynolds advocated for 4E, building off of 3E/3.5. Not that he wanted that result, but that doing what he advocated would have gotten to there all the same. [/QUOTE]
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