D&D 4E OT: Shadowrun 4E announced

[Hurtfultater]

There are a number of people here saying that system does not significantly inform setting or playstyle. I don't quite understand that. A system with a less flat probability curve (like SR) will, regardless of the median results of tests, be more predictable than a flat curve system like d20. This means that for the middle ranges of difficulty (i.e. non-trivial and not nigh-impossible), the bell curvey system will be, from a player and character standpoint, more predictable, especially on open tests. Unless all your PCs are incapable of inductive reasoning (let's all play the Momento RPG!), this is going to effect what risks your characters take.

More minor issues like long-term character flexibility (in which a specialized character can switch specialties or become more well rounded, and vice-versa) and incremental advancement also inform play style. The setting is also shaped by system quirks: if wired reflexes and the initiative system are changed to d20, that makes combat take on an entirely differant character, thus shaping how Lone Star, shadowrunners, etc. do things, and it makes the street samurai and adept archtypes differant. One of the things I like about SR is that every archtype has a sort of existance no one else can touch. The face/fixer has an underworld, magicians have the astral, adepts and samurai have the quickened interaction - the theme of daily interaction with entities that are fundamentally other is reinforced by the system*.

I'm excited about SR 4th, as they've said they're making the matrix wireless and coterminous with meatspace. With this, deckers will no longer be NPCs and the player who does a solo adventure while everyone else eats dinner and flips through your books. They've also promised a unified mechanic, and that is one of the missing features. While I didn't find SR3 too complicated, I also like rules more than a man should, and it'll be easier to dragoon people into playing.

*This is if you aren't beer and pretzels playing SR to be a fun game about the A-Team, only where Baracus is a sociopathic cyborg dwarf.

 

[kigmatzomat]

Put me in the camp of people who loathe rolling fistfuls of dice as a clunky and inelegant mechanic (I was probably soured by playing in a game with a player who took ages to count his successes - he could, I admit, just as easily been someone who takes ages to add his bonuses to his d20 roll so its not *really* a game fault).

I've got one of those. He checks his sheet for his modifiers, rolls the die, forgets the modifiers, re-checks his sheet, forgets his die roll, *finally* places the die on his sheet and does the math. Did I mention he is playing a monk and gets crap loads of attacks each round?

Thank {diety} that after two rounds of this another player will lean over and start calculating the results.

 

[Kestrel]

4e SR: I hope they simplify and bring a consistent core system for all aspects of the game. Rigging and Matrix were effectively useless in 3ed. I remember having 3-4 hr combats in SR, that covered less than a minute in gametime. Thats a bit ridiculous in my opinion. The system was just not forgiving to newbies and needs a lot of simplification.

SR d20. M&M's system is probably the best base for it. Its already points based and classless. Most flexible system in D20.

 

[Semah G Noj]

I kill about one player a session without really even trying.

Please tell me you meant "kill one character a session"

 

[Michelle Lyons]

I also think it has a tiny bit to do with the fact that FanPro is the legal owner and heir to the only german roleplaying game that was designed to compete with D&D on the german market in the early 80's...DSA. They've released a 4th edition of that game two years ago, which tried to make it more flexible, and actually would have been much better done with d20. I don't think FanPro is going to even think about touching a d20 license for any of their games with a long pole, as it would too much look like they're letting "the enemy" into their camp.

As far as FanPro US is concerned, the lines are handled separately and really have very little to do with one another. I don't think there's any fear of D20 cooties invading the office.

 

[Hurtfultater]

As far as FanPro US is concerned, the lines are handled separately and really have very little to do with one another. I don't think there's any fear of D20 cooties invading the office.

Didn't you contribute to the recent Tri-stat Cyberpunk book?

 

[Michelle Lyons]

Didn't you contribute to the recent Tri-stat Cyberpunk book?

Yes. I wrote one of the settings and edited most of the book.

 

[Hurtfultater]

Yes. I wrote one of the settings and edited most of the book.

Well, I'm pretty sure that counts

 

[Semah G Noj]

As far as FanPro US is concerned, the lines are handled separately and really have very little to do with one another. I don't think there's any fear of D20 cooties invading the office.

Even so, we can still argue until we are blue in the face over the goodness/baddness of this thing that will never exist, right? Right??

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Even so, we can still argue until we are blue in the face over the goodness/baddness of this thing that will never exist, right? Right??

She didn't say it wouldn't ever exist, merely that once it started existing, the office wouldn't be afraid of it.

So, when's D20 SR coming out?