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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6862196" data-attributes="member: 6696971">Well they don't eliminate choice, they just change the types and nature of choices in play (with respect to weapons and what the game is about in general).For instance.  A game like Dogs in the Vineyard will generally have guns with higher damage dice than knives.  However, those guns will also have a 1d4 attached to their deployment.  So two things are happening here:1)  That d4 has a good chance of earning you Fallout (injury but xp later) and complicating your life.2)  Deploying that gun means that you're escalating the stakes either from words, fists, or knives to something that guarantees a lethal resolution to the conflict.  So you're putting a line in the sand as to what you're willing to die for.  What you're willing to kill for.  That is extremely important in that game.In a game like Dungeon World, damage comes from class rather than weapon.  However, there are tactical implications to any weapon that you wield or are considering wielding.  That comes in the way of tags.  If you don't have the right tag for your weapon, then you're going to be at a disadvantage depending on your adversary's strengths and the present context of the melee.  That halberd (Reach) isn't doing you much good when you're on your back hand-fighting with a dire wolf.  That katar (Hand) isn't doing you much good when you're facing a pikemen's hedge. In a Cortex+ scenario, weapon damage is inherent to your skill/power rating (subject to step-ups or step-downs).  You're a Fighter?  The Weapon component of your dice pool is going to be d10.  You could be wielding a sidearm or a polearm.  But are you Defending an ally?  Are you in position to make yourself vulnerable by shutting down your Gear (say, your weapon has been disarmed) for a (perhaps needed) Plot Point?  Can you change the situation (and do you have the PP) to bring one of your Distinctions or Values in play?  Is the situation set up where you can bring one of your build elements to bear to Stunt or create an Asset for your allies because you're a Tactical Genius?  How much has the situation escalated and what hangs on this moment (mechanically this is represented by the Doom Pool but the GM will change the situation to reflect ominous portents; either looming or immediate)?So different approaches to system are going to bring different sorts of mental overhead for players.  Part of this overhead will be tactical or strategic, it will just be on a different axis (or axes).  Sides note:  D&D's approach (go with weapon and spec hard into it) has a tendency to contract the variance of weapons deployed on a per character basis.  This limits the impact on play of the Fighter's unique access to Weapon Proficiencies (both in how the fiction emerges and in the value of Weapon Proficiencies: All).</blockquote>

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