Unorthodox game mechanics poll

[Tshober]

I'm like to take a small unscientific poll of game mechanics preferences. Look at the options below and list which appeal to you and why. I won't embed the poll because I'm curious about the "why" more than the number. Options:

1) Rune stone and playmat mechanic like the game Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok
Fate of the Norns

2) Odd sided dice such as the kickstarter below (use your imagination on how d14 to d18 can be used)
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/674003445/spherical-d14-and-d18-the-missing-even-sided-game

3) Card mechanic like the game Deliria
Review of Deliria: Faerie Tales for a New Millennium - RPGnet

4) Quota system like Universalis (or Fiasco)
Universalis (Revised Edition) | RPG Item | RPGGeek

5) Vote mechanic
[many indie systems to list]

 

[the Jester]

Sorry, no idea how any of those work. Would you care to sum up?

 

[Jhaelen]

Well I don't know any of these systems either - but why should that keep me from commenting on them - this is the internet after all

1) Rune stone and playmat mechanic like the game Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok
Fate of the Norns

Sounds clunky. If every player is fiddling with rune stones on a play mat that will take up plenty of space.

2) Odd sided dice such as the kickstarter below (use your imagination on how d14 to d18 can be used)
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/674003445/spherical-d14-and-d18-the-missing-even-sided-game

I hate this kind of thing. Odd-sided 'dice' serve no point, imho, and it's definitely a bad idea to invent a system simply to make use of them.
If you need percentile dice use a d20 (or two), for everything else use a d6 (or a d12 if you must). Everything else is just baggage.

3) Card mechanic like the game Deliria
Review of Deliria: Faerie Tales for a New Millennium - RPGnet

There's a lot of things cards are better suited for than dice. E.g. pretty much all of the random tables so prolific in many games would be better implemented using a deck of cards. So, yep, I like them.

4) Quota system like Universalis (or Fiasco)
Universalis (Revised Edition) | RPG Item | RPGGeek

Mhm, is that like the 'Amber' rpg? If so, I kinda like it for one-offs, but don't think I'd enjoy it for an extended campaign.

5) Vote mechanic
[many indie systems to list]

No clue. Need examples.

 

[Desdichado]

I'm like to take a small unscientific poll of game mechanics preferences. Look at the options below and list which appeal to you and why. I won't embed the poll because I'm curious about the "why" more than the number. Options:

I have no idea how to respond to most of these, since the links below aren't very informative. However, as "the most opinionated guy on the Internet," that's hardly going to stop me from adding my two cents!

1) Rune stone and playmat mechanic like the game Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok
Fate of the Norns

I dislike the concept of "games within games". I already dislike grid-based combat so embedded in many D&D type games as it is. Adding other elements of "stop your RPG to play this side game for a while" is the last kind of element I want to add to my games. I dislike the notion intensely.

2) Odd sided dice such as the kickstarter below (use your imagination on how d14 to d18 can be used)
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/674003445/spherical-d14-and-d18-the-missing-even-sided-game

I have no interest in chasing down odd dice. The standard RPG dice-set already includes enough odd ones that don't get a lot of use as it is. Why do we need more? Also, I get absolutely no satisfaction out of using different kinds of dice just because. No thanks.

3) Card mechanic like the game Deliria
Review of Deliria: Faerie Tales for a New Millennium - RPGnet

Again, is it a "game within a game", or is it just a method of randomizing? If its the former, I'm not interested. If it's the latter, I'm going to ask why cards, and is it really necessary or more convenient, or is it just gimicky? I don't find gimicky elements in games to be very useful.

Then again, some RPG related card decks--like Paizo's Critical Hits and Fumbles, for instance--actually seem like they're more convenient than the alternative, so I'm OK with them.

4) Quota system like Universalis (or Fiasco)
Universalis (Revised Edition) | RPG Item | RPGGeek

This link isn't very informative. I have no idea what this even means.

5) Vote mechanic
[many indie systems to list]

Same here. ??

 

[wingsandsword]

I've never heard of any of those games.

The only game with a really unorthodox mechanic that I liked was the use of playing cards in classic Deadlands for character generation and spellcasting.

Since poker is very thematic for the wild west, it fit the genre/feel of the game, and playing cards are very easy to get ahold of, easier than polyhedral dice. Runestones are harder to find, and odd die sizes are much harder to find. Playing cards are also a very fair randomizer with well studied odds.