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<blockquote data-quote="Shiroiken" data-source="post: 7883661" data-attributes="member: 6775477">I guess it really falls into &quot;how do you define a unique mechanic.&quot; To me, a unique mechanic isn't the difference between two similar concepts, but rather a specific mechanic designed to integrate and define a gaming system. The best example of this would be the use of playing cards in the original Deadlands RPG; it was designed to give the feel of the old west gambling. The new Legend of the Five Rings RPG has a mechanic that introduces stress over time, which eventually causes your character to make a break from the very rigid cultural requirements (causing social issues that can impede your goals). I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of any at this time.It's hard to say that D&amp;D has any &quot;unique&quot; mechanics, because many of them have been repurposed over the years, making little of them truly unique (not to mention used by other RPGs). Each edition might have a few unique mechanics however, such as BECMI using race as class, which was very integral to its final concept. The 4E powers mechanic is unique not because of how it worked (at-will, encounter, and daily), but the fact that it was a universal mechanic that was integral to how 4E was meant to work (everyone was equal in abilities). A semi-unique 1E &amp; OD&amp;D mechanic was the fact that levels were fully unlimited, but this wasn't really an integral defining aspect of either edition (even if people abused it to create 100+ level characters).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Shiroiken, post: 7883661, member: 6775477"] I guess it really falls into "how do you define a unique mechanic." To me, a unique mechanic isn't the difference between two similar concepts, but rather a specific mechanic designed to integrate and define a gaming system. The best example of this would be the use of playing cards in the original Deadlands RPG; it was designed to give the feel of the old west gambling. The new Legend of the Five Rings RPG has a mechanic that introduces stress over time, which eventually causes your character to make a break from the very rigid cultural requirements (causing social issues that can impede your goals). I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of any at this time. It's hard to say that D&D has any "unique" mechanics, because many of them have been repurposed over the years, making little of them truly unique (not to mention used by other RPGs). Each edition might have a few unique mechanics however, such as BECMI using race as class, which was very integral to its final concept. The 4E powers mechanic is unique not because of how it worked (at-will, encounter, and daily), but the fact that it was a universal mechanic that was integral to how 4E was meant to work (everyone was equal in abilities). A semi-unique 1E & OD&D mechanic was the fact that levels were fully unlimited, but this wasn't really an integral defining aspect of either edition (even if people abused it to create 100+ level characters). [/QUOTE]

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