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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="payn" data-source="post: 9881186" data-attributes="member: 90374">I think its important that how characters are defined is spelled out in the rulebook. You dont have to have classes, archetypes, feats, playbooks, etc.. Though, I think some indication of how characters are to be shaped is important to be called out.A little of both. PF1 is my favorite fantasy RPG at the moment because of how defined classes are, but how many options exist in which you can customize them. I also enjoy PbtA playbooks as I think they give a good achetype of character, while leaving a lot of space for the player to interpret that.That said, I dislike classless systems that are just everybody takes from the same pool. Its too generic and often some choices are clear winners so for some reason every character does the same things.   I lean towards point buy because I want more control over how the character exists. Also, a lot of modern fantasy systems are built so stiffly, that random stat gen can make them poor experiences at the table. If a system is wider and built to encompass randomly rolled characters, I dont mind it. Traveller for example, handles this better since its spread is wide, and it has no leveling progress in the realm of things like D&D. I want to say no, but I think thats only a general answer. I play a lot of Sci-Fi and horror games and I feel like they play very differently than fantasy. I think thats in large part due to how D&D developed and the rest of the RPG industry more than anything inherent to the genres themselves.I know folks hate the word immersion, but I feel like defined characters adds to the setting you are looking to play in. So, as a system is built, I think if the definitions lead to characters that are easy to envision in such a world or place helps aid gaming mindset of everyone at the table. I definitely "build" characters around the concepts I want to explore in the genre, and find a hard time getting into the experience in generic classless systems that are made to be one size fits all. YMMV.I am fine with leveling systems like D&D, but I also dont mind flatter progression systems, I even prefer them. What I have discovered in flat progression is the character is basically the character and so folks tend to explore the setting and the character's place in it more than collecting gadgets and getting more numerically powerful.From a story perspective thats awesome, but ive also had GMs that either have lack of imagination or poor GM practices. So, I can see a numerically power fantasy system as giving some insulation against boring play development. You have something outside the genre exploration to look forward to. I used to see D&D as exactly that, now I tend to be more picky about who I play with. YMMV.<img class="smilie smilie--emoji" alt="🤛" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f91b.png" title="Left-facing fist    :left_facing_fist:" data-shortname=":left_facing_fist:" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" /></blockquote>

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