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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ratskinner" data-source="post: 7724980" data-attributes="member: 6688937">"Tactical" would be the systems where "Power X" is defined and costed by very specific in-game features: "target moves 3 squares, takes 13 stun, is blinded for 6 sec as per the condition on p. 178."  However, the system really doesn't care what exactly "Power X" is. Is it a Stun Pistol, Spell, or Mutant Sonic Shout power? Dunno, don't care, pay your points (Hero is a system like this) and write it down. The Big Design Goal in such a system is that the mechanics all work with each other to produce a clear, precise, (usually) tactical or (sometimes) simulation system. Fair, balanced, realistic, or accurate are words they shoot for.There is, I think, considerable overlap with "list based" games and my "tactical" category. The "non-list" versions just tend to have the costing system laid bare (IME), so a list is unneccesary. They are often billed as "universal" or more "flexible". "Narrative Wrapper" games are those that don't even have squares or points or seconds. You can probably write down any of those things (Stun Pistol, Spell, or Mutant Sonic Shout) on your character sheet and it doesn't even matter. What matters is that we all agree that your character has such a feature and that it will have corresponding narrative effects. Those effects may show up explicitly in play or not (as aspects or something). There are often rules about avoiding or putting a cost on contradiction, but the difference between a Death Ray and Tickle Gun are semantic...literally. The resolution system may or may not actually care what your character's stats are. I would put the more "outré" versions of Fate in this category, along with a host of quasi-experimental Forge games I have played. They strive for a consistent narrative, and dramatic stories usually with minimal math, even if mechanics can become rather complex. These tend to be the very antithesis of list-based games (IME), the concept of lists with picayune details about weapons, powers, etc. is just pointless for these games.</blockquote>

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