Origins of the d20 system?

[Angel Tarragon]

Alternity, the game produced shortly after WotC's buyout of TSR, seems like a good hybrid system that provides an evolutionary "missing link" between 2e and 3e. At least in my opinion.

I second that.

 

[Nisarg]

I can give you what the conscious inspirations were, assuming I won't just forget something (it was a lot of years ago now).

Well, there we go, that's pretty much what I've been saying on this thread all along.. D&D was inspired by D&D.

Nisarg

 

[Sammael]

Feats are identical to perks from Fallout's SPECIAL system. The XP table is likewise identical to SPECIAL's.

 

[Akrasia]

I definitely see how D&D moved towards RM with 3rd ed. However, it probably impossible to determine whether RM influenced Monte's ideas, or whether Monte's ideas influenced the development of RM in a similar fashion to the way his ideas influenced D&D.

Most likely, though, both are true to some degree.

Rubbish -- given that RM had been around for almost a full decade before Monte joined ICE.

 

[Akrasia]

I think this is key to why d20 rocks so hard and why 3e has been such a success. It's a D&D where the system gets the heck out of your way and lets you play D&D.

Strange. My experience has been that the d20 system has been much more "in your way" than any other version of D&D -- given its obsession with quantifying every aspect of the game.

 

[Gez]

Yep, but 2e's obsession had been of setting a different, totally unrelated, subsystem for everything. d20 use very few subsystems, making it less invasive in the sense that, once you've grasped how it works, you can use it every time without thinking about it.

 

[diaglo]

The changes to halflings, for example, came out of the game I was running at the time, where they were far less like hobbits.

so you were the Kenderfancier. good thing to know.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Origins:

Skills:

Traveller
Twilight 2000
Rolemaster
Talislanta
WHFRP
GURPS
To an extent - Non-Weapon Proficiencies in AD&D.
Palladium

What, no Runequest?
The Auld Grump

 

[diaglo]

I no longer have access to the 2E materials,

i could loan you mine. i picked up some extras recently.

 

[buzz]

Strange. My experience has been that the d20 system has been much more "in your way" than any other version of D&D -- given its obsession with quantifying every aspect of the game.

I was waiting for someone to respond with this.

YMMV. d20 made all the changes I'd wanted for D&D since about 1982. I'm happy.