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Message: <blockquote data-quote="robertsconley" data-source="post: 9675476" data-attributes="member: 13383">Because you're overlooking the fact that the settings I use were developed across multiple systems. They may have started with AD&D 1e in the early '80s, but I then ran several years of Fantasy Hero, followed by two decades of GURPS, and only returned to classic D&D about 15 years ago. This includes the handful of campaigns using other systems, such as Fantasy AGE.Even then, the classes I used for my Majestic Fantasy RPG are reflections of common character packages people used in GURPS (later formalized as templates), and I treated levels as large bumps in a character’s “point total” (roughly 25 points per level). I chose OD&D via Swords & Wizardry because its survivability curve was in the ballpark of GURPS fantasy adventurers. Further tweaks to the combat system brought it even closer.D&D 5e also works for me because if I avoid multiclassing and feats (both optional rules in the 2014 version), the “survivability curve” remains close to classic D&D.These observations are based on multiple campaigns involving different groups of players. The consequences of using different systems show up in things like how customizable characters are or how long combat takes to resolve, but not in how players make their way through the setting. Not in how many orcs a highly experienced adventurer can handle, or what they need to say to persuade a court official.In short, the system isn’t destiny. If you adopt a system as-is without critical thought, it will shape your setting into something else. But that’s not how I approach it. I tweak the system to fit the settings I run, not the other way around. And I study the system carefully so I can make only the tweaks that are necessary, because I want to use published resources created by others for that system.Running campaigns this way has a long tradition in the hobby. It’s more common today to buy someone else’s system and follow the vision of the setting(s) it presents, which is fine. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only way to handle campaigns or RPG systems, just the most popular one right now.</blockquote>

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