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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 4702489" data-attributes="member: 80487">The frequency and importance in the game of a given situation may be a measure of how useful a well-constructed rule is likely to be. A mechanical formalism in place of role-playing is awkward, although the latter might be supplemented in some cases -- so most useful rules are likely to pertain to things that can't be resolved through role-playing.Combat is THE big example in most RPGs, reflecting for one thing the hobby's war-game roots. A one-step or otherwise too-abstract resolution of a fight (Did the PCs win? YES/NO) would be unsatisfactory; there's got to be some degree of "process modeling."Having players actually fence is part of LARP, but does not fit the "paper and pencil" bill. (Pencils can be dangerous!) Amber Diceless emphasizes detailed description of actions without (obviously) dice-rolls, but with a heavy presumption that if all else is equal then the higher "stat" wins.There's a balance to strike between the player skill and player choice of role-playing on one hand, and the "roll-playing" aspect reflecting character factors apart from that with quantified mechanics on the other.I find that King Arthur Pendragon does an excellent job of incorporating the latter into psychological and interpersonal situations -- in keeping with the focus of the game. In contrast, social "skill challenges" are among the things I most dislike in 4E.Games with different emphases in play naturally have different emphases in rules, assuming they are designed with some sense of such proportion.When character creation is (A) focused on "balance" and (B) an exercise in resource management, game balance makes use of resources (abilities, skills, feats, powers, advantages, disadvantages, etc.) extremely important. A "character build" that gets deprived of its expected effectiveness is likely to cause consternation.If Player A has devoted a significant number of points to a basket weaving rating, then there's an expectation that a basket weaving rating shall be significantly "powerful" in play.The wisdom/aging/skill glitch mentioned above is an example of the "rule of unintended consequences." The more complex the system, the harder it is to keep track of all interactions and predict all emergent properties.If verisimilitude takes priority, then it's easy (in terms of the "social contract") to revise or ignore troublesome rules-as-written. If abstract game play takes priority, then there's likely to be resistance to any approach that's not "by the book."</blockquote>

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