NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Helpful NPC Thom" data-source="post: 8322441" data-attributes="member: 7031378">I think that the best option for this is creating rules additions that guide play. Moldvay B/X is astounding in this regard with how it lays out the procedural elements of D&D. It creates strong gameplay enhanced by clear and concise rules. Now, the rules for dungeon exploration are not appropriate for every aspect of D&D play--if the players are entering a tavern, it would not be appropriate to test for wandering monsters or make reaction rolls (unless it's a rather unusual tavern)--but the framework provides sufficient structure for the "meat" of the game.I think creating a handful of subsystems that utilize different styles of rolls is the best option in this regard. Apocalypse World and its derivates all utilize 2d6 + stat and a ternary resolution system, but the exact implementation of those rolls varies based on circumstance. A player who attacks another character (typically described as Seize By Force) has very different effects and outcomes of the roll compared to a player who is surveying a tense scene (typically described as Reading a Sitch).For the simplest distillation of those mechanic, view the basics of Burning Wheel: the GM tells the players exactly what happens on a failed dice roll, and then the players roll the dice. A failure changes based on circumstance. In the scope of D&D, a failed check to pick a lock could have any of the following happen:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You can't pick this lock. Sorry, you'll have to find another way through.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You pick the lock, but you trigger a trap on it.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You pick the lock, but the bandits on the other side of the door are ready and waiting for you.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You pick the lock, but the sorcerer moves one step closer to completing his evil ritual.</li> </ul>Some might find a lack of defined mechanics frustrating, but in a story-first game, the freedom for GMs to improvise and modify consequences based on circumstance is invaluable.</blockquote>

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