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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mark Plemmons" data-source="post: 3305209" data-attributes="member: 1287">It's not that other games have failed to eclipse D&D because of the the d20 rules system (or AD&D rules system).  They've failed to eclipse D&D because it is D&D - the longest-running and best known rpg brand out there.Although, I doubt that any game designer truly believes his brand name will ever beat D&D or d20 in terms of sales and brand recognition, barring some incredible phenomena.  The owners/initiators of the D&D/d20 brands have a marketing capital which I'd imagine exceeds every other RPG company by a significant factor.But does that mean no one should ever try to create any new RPG rules again?  That they'll never be happy in life because their game will never be #1?  That the d20 system will always be best, all designers should be subservient to it, and gamers will never get tired of playing it?  I don't believe it.  I think variety really is the spice of life, and my experience tells me that gamers actually want that variety.Don't get me wrong - I've got no grudge against D&D or d20.  Heck, our Kingdoms of Kalamar setting is official D&D v3.5, and HackMaster has licensed old-school D&D at the core.  I love to play both.  Here's another example.  Our upcoming Aces & Eights rpg (Spring 2007, by the way <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />) will not be D&D/d20 based, though it'll update and streamline a few of our original elements we put into HackMaster.  The rest (like the Shot Clock and Target Silhouettes, brawling rules, cattle drives, trial system, gunfight rules, and much more) are our own new game mechanics.  Now, does that mean A&8 is somehow less than d20, or that we're trying to "topple the king?"  Of course not.  At worst, it just means we wanted to do things differently, and that we think gamers like variety, and that we think it will be a profitable game.So, I guess that my long-winded answer to the original poster's question is that publishers should "ditch" d20 and develop their own system whenever they've got a fire in their belly about a new non-d20 product that their best research/costs shows them will be profitable enough to produce.  If they don't care about it, and it's not going to make any money, don't do it.Of course, the above is all just my opinion - so take it with a pound of salt.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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