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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Victim" data-source="post: 378253" data-attributes="member: 78">Probably the main reason publishers don't focus so much alternative systems, like the VP/WP or armor/DR system is that fully fleched systems aren't gonig to be as useable as as feats or prestige classes.Let's say we're allocating a few pages of dragon.  We'll say that we can put in a bunch of feats, a few prestige classes, or one "rules expansion."First of all, not all the material will it into someone's game, so they probably don't want it.  I don't have a problem with the armor = AC system, so I could care less.  Also, I don't play in Greyhawk, so if they put in 4 prestige classes based off Greyhawk nations or dieties or feats based off training in those areas, I probably care.  However, even if everything is Greyhawk based, I can still probably find areas of overlap between my game and their material.  For example, I might be able to use the Radiant Servant of Pelor with a few tweaks for a priest of Lathander or Madriel, or replace Evil Kingdom X's Champion with Evil Kingdom Y's Legionarre.  So I can still use some of the material, like 1 or 2 out of 4 P classes, or almost all the feats.  However, if I'm not interested in the alternate rules, then the whole section is a waste.Also, some of the ideas will be good or bad.  One PrC might be poorly thought out and another overpowered.  Some feats might not be worthwhile, or done better some other way.  Another feat might be like pre errata Expert Tactician.  So some of those elements will get wasted because they good enough to take or no DM would allow them.  If there's a bunch of feats, I can probably pull out a few that look interesting.  If there's a handful of PrCs, I can maybe find an interesting one, or at least find some interesting class features that I can use if I make my own classes.  However, even one bad element can make a system relatively worthless, and the more integrated the system, the more difficult it is to fix that element.  Skills and Powers is good idea in theory, but the execution lead to abuse.  The High level Campaigns book had a number of options that gave nonspellcasters new abilites.  However, most of those abilities worked best when using the S&P system for advancing them.  However, since the S&P didn't work so well, the High level book based on it didn't work so well.  Similarly, if the result of your Armor-DR and WP/VP system is that it makes fighters without Power Attack worthless, and fighters with it normal, then it doesn't really matter how perfect your AC value > DR value system works, or if you have a method of tweaking spells to fit with almost no work, or how you integrate other sources of DR.  Alternatively, if you work out a way that perfectly balances all non magical classes with your DR/WP/VP system, but don't have the necessary changes to spells, then the system isn't gonig to work well either.Since the system as a whole has to be right, because it's only useable as a whole, it will require much more work to make sure it works.  And even then, if you could create flawless game systems just by trying hard . . .Finally, rules exansions and alt systems don't combine very well.  While there will be some overlap, I could use 2 fighter sourcebooks, and pick the coolest feats out each one.  If there are similar areas, like 2 weapon master type prestige classes, each one is only a small part of the book, or I can use both, creating 2 rival schools of swordmanship, so if the PC picks one, I create a rival from the other.  On the other hand, it's hard to use 2 different naval combat systems, or 2 DR based systems, etc at the same time.</blockquote>

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