Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Willie the Duck" data-source="post: 8744990" data-attributes="member: 6799660">Fundamentally, yes, it is a backwards-compatibility thing. If they eliminated it and still wanted people with PB/Array to be able to start with +3 mods, they would have to rebuild the tables, include the PB cost for the 16 in stats (something where I honestly think any given number/cost they could provide would anger at least half the base), and so on. Moving the +2/+1 to backgrounds (and then making them floating as desired) does the most with the least impact. Having no bonuses at all would be less confusing to newcomers (although having them tied to background isn't actually an more confusing than having them tied to race, so what they've done is confusion-neutral). Honestly, I would be in favor of* getting rid of the 4D6b3 system altogether, doing 3d6 (arrange to taste) and rebalance what the scores get you** to make that not significantly different. All that mostly unused space between 3 and 13 for stats you don't immediately try never to use seems like a waste to me, and there is elegance in a bell-curve distribution. That fight, however, seems to have been lost in '77 (or at least whenever the basic-classic line officially ended).*along with even more extensive modifications to attributes, such as making them matter for a lot fewer things.**such that a 12 or 13 would be a perfectly fine primary attribute.The game also has random starting gold and roll HP as you level as options (and dice rolled every adventure). All forms of balance exist only in the aggregate.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Willie the Duck, post: 8744990, member: 6799660"] Fundamentally, yes, it is a backwards-compatibility thing. If they eliminated it and still wanted people with PB/Array to be able to start with +3 mods, they would have to rebuild the tables, include the PB cost for the 16 in stats (something where I honestly think any given number/cost they could provide would anger at least half the base), and so on. Moving the +2/+1 to backgrounds (and then making them floating as desired) does the most with the least impact. Having no bonuses at all would be less confusing to newcomers (although having them tied to background isn't actually an more confusing than having them tied to race, so what they've done is confusion-neutral). Honestly, I would be in favor of* getting rid of the 4D6b3 system altogether, doing 3d6 (arrange to taste) and rebalance [I]what the scores get you**[/I] to make that not significantly different. All that mostly unused space between 3 and 13 for stats you don't immediately try never to use seems like a waste to me, and there is elegance in a bell-curve distribution. That fight, however, seems to have been lost in '77 (or at least whenever the basic-classic line officially ended). [SIZE=1]*along with even more extensive modifications to attributes, such as making them matter for a lot fewer things. **such that a 12 or 13 would be a perfectly fine primary attribute.[/SIZE] The game also has random starting gold and roll HP as you level as options (and dice rolled every adventure). All forms of balance exist only in the aggregate. [/QUOTE]

Verification