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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Grimstaff" data-source="post: 2642423" data-attributes="member: 34880">That's (supposedly) the good thing about d20 variants, you already know the core mechanic, the rest is just "window dressing". I think what designers have to look out for is are they following two important rules: 1) stick as close to the core mechanic as possible, and 2) keep the "flavor" coming. Two examples of great products that could have stuck a little closer to these rules and perhaps done a little better: 1)Call of Cthulu(WotC), did a great job of sticking with the core mechanic, almost too good. It came up lacking in flavor, the mechanics were too combat heavy when they should have been more cerebral, and the art and presentation were a little too bright and pleasant to get the "insanity gloom" idea across. 2)Black Company (GR) seems to be at the other end of the spectrum. All the flavor is there, in spades, I love looking through this book. The rules, otoh, drifted a bit too far from core to accommidate ease of play. d20 combat is complicated enough as is, more combat rules just bog the game down. And the magic system is nearly unplayable, unless your players dont mind going off on a beer run while Shadowclamp's player tries to figure out the DC of his "Cloud of Eye Melting" spell. Don't get me wrong, I love the flavor of the system, I just think restricting magic use to the schools of Illusion, Evocation, and Abjuration would have gotten the same general feel across and sped things up at the table.I'm sure designers will keep trying to find ways to more finely hone this balance, which may result in a little less perceived "fragmentation". As to a slump in sales across the board in general, I've said it a thousand times: New gamers buy new books, and there will never be a lot of new gamers until someone figures out how to get D&D on the shelf at Walmart! <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/laugh.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing    :lol:" data-shortname=":lol:" /></blockquote>

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