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<blockquote data-quote="JonWake" data-source="post: 5823611" data-attributes="member: 95255">That's a fair point, and one that is the source of many games try to answer. RPG's are a unique beast because of the influence of the fiction on the mechanics.&nbsp; In a board or dice game, and fictional element comes after the fact.&nbsp; You may imagine the lives of your Warhammer figures, but that is in reference to a war game.&nbsp; In an RPG, the fictional back and forth between the players is the primary driver, and the mechanics exist to back that up and facilitate it. This is enormously important to realize because is changes how mechanics are used or even conceived of. Flipping a coin might be a perfectly acceptable mechanic for a Forgie game about split-second choices.&nbsp; I'll admit that my original post was about randomness in the fictional aspect of the mechanics primarily.&nbsp; But that's not exclusively it.&nbsp; For example, 4e gives players a significant hit point total to act as a buffer against the wide range of a d20. Lesser hit points create more randomness in the fights, as does greater damage and lower to hit thresholds.&nbsp; I, personally, like this, as that it reinforces a style of play I enjoy.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="JonWake, post: 5823611, member: 95255"] That's a fair point, and one that is the source of many games try to answer. RPG's are a unique beast because of the influence of the fiction on the mechanics. In a board or dice game, and fictional element comes after the fact. You may imagine the lives of your Warhammer figures, but that is in reference to a war game. In an RPG, the fictional back and forth between the players is the primary driver, and the mechanics exist to back that up and facilitate it. This is enormously important to realize because is changes how mechanics are used or even conceived of. Flipping a coin might be a perfectly acceptable mechanic for a Forgie game about split-second choices. I'll admit that my original post was about randomness in the fictional aspect of the mechanics primarily. But that's not exclusively it. For example, 4e gives players a significant hit point total to act as a buffer against the wide range of a d20. Lesser hit points create more randomness in the fights, as does greater damage and lower to hit thresholds. I, personally, like this, as that it reinforces a style of play I enjoy. [/QUOTE]

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