What Do You Think Of As "Modern TTRPG Mechanics"?

[Reynard]

This came up in another thread and I wanted to spin it off for its own discussion.

When talking about TTRPG mechanics and how the medium has evolved and advanced over the last 5 decades, are there specific sorts of mechanics that you consider more "modern" than others?

Where do you draw the line at "modern"? Is it arbitrarily some year or the advent of some game? Or is there a qualitative to "modern" that transcends a clear line?

And with the dicsussion of "modern" -- are there games with mechanics ahead of their time? Are there "regressive" games now?

Finally, does it matter to you whether a game has more "modern" mechanics, for good or ill?

 

[sevenbastard]

Im not sure i use the term " modern " for mechanics. When I think about newer RPGs I sometimes associate newish to a shift to story games and narrative games, and mechanics associated with these troops of games, but obviously plenty of modern games are not those types of games.

 

[TheAlkaizer]

Modern is a definition that has to evolve. What we think of modern now is different than what we thought as modern.

I know that, personally, there's a few elements that seem vestigial when I spot them. For example, if I see a matrix table in a game, I take for granted it was written on a typewriter while smoking in a carpeted-room.

As to what's modern, I see more and more abstraction in design. Not needing to represent things are they are logically, but designing a more convenient but abstracted way. The Resource Die form Black Hack is a good example. The Advantage system of 5E is another.

 

[Tonguez]

As to what's modern, I see more and more abstraction in design. Not needing to represent things are they are logically, but designing a more convenient but abstracted way. The Resource Die form Black Hack is a good example. The Advantage system of 5E is another.

Yeah I tend to agree that modern tends to refer to mechanics that allow for abstraction rather than task focus. Narrative approaches, event-based (v taskbased) resolution, player led world building/questions, advantage and bennies etc

 

[soviet]

I would normally think of 'modern mechanics' as those coming after the forge and 'system matters'. So, not necessarily narrativist leaning, but having a sense of intentionality about creating a particular effect from the game rules, and not necessarily sticking to tradition for its own sake.

I think in the last several years though 'modern mechanics' in a commercial context probably just means 5e-compatible or nearly so.

 

[payn]

This came up in another thread and I wanted to spin it off for its own discussion.

When talking about TTRPG mechanics and how the medium has evolved and advanced over the last 5 decades, are there specific sorts of mechanics that you consider more "modern" than others?

I think mechanics that focus on narrative are rather modern. Games in which are designed to give the player a little more choice, or decision points, rather than random luck of the roll feel modern. Degrees of success as opposed to straight binary results, etc..

Where do you draw the line at "modern"? Is it arbitrarily some year or the advent of some game? Or is there a qualitative to "modern" that transcends a clear line?

I want to say the changing to the 21st century becasue it just seems like a clean break. Though, this suggests that there is only old and modern mechanic design. I think RPGs are evolving and there have been several breaks over the 5 decades of their publishing. Sometimes an older idea gets a fresh take, and sometimes an old idea gets a modern take. Ideally two thigns happen, designers make it clear what they are trying to do, and gamers give games a fair shake accordingly.

And with the dicsussion of "modern" -- are there games with mechanics ahead of their time? Are there "regressive" games now?

A lot of times games have gimmicks, which can be hit or miss. I think sometimes the hits are viewed as ahead of their time or pioneering. Often, those games get credit for making something popular or accepted.

I dont like the term regressive, personally. I think some games hearken back with design intention to capture that feel. I often have discussions with folks where they try and make mechanics discussions about objectivity. That works right up until you realize its a game that is about entertainment which is entirely subjective. There is no best mouse trap to invent. Though, yes the existence of OSR attests to this idea of classic game design. Though, I also see some modern design marry into OSR games (assuming you are willing to accept OSR as a philosophy and not just copies of early D&D).

Finally, does it matter to you whether a game has more "modern" mechanics, for good or ill?

Not really, no. I take games for their intent. I will judge them fairly. If there are games I simply dont enjoy, ill state as much when discussing them if I cant help but be partial. I will say games I tend to stick with for the long haul id categorize as modern, where odl school is something I tend to only flirt with anymore.

 

[Gorgon Zee]

When talking about TTRPG mechanics and how the medium has evolved and advanced over the last 5 decades, are there specific sorts of mechanics that you consider more "modern" than others?

I started a long answer and then realized it boiled down to two words: "Not Simulationist". Older systems used mechanics as a way of trying to simulate a physical reality. Modern mechanics do not have that as their goal. They may want to generate a narrative, elide things they consider uninteresting, or just plain aim for fun. But I think of modern mechanics as ones where the goal is other than to work out the probabiliuty of a physical event X occuring.

Where do you draw the line at "modern"? Is it arbitrarily some year or the advent of some game? Or is there a qualitative to "modern" that transcends a clear line?

No, not really. It's more a vibe-y attitude sort of thing.

Finally, does it matter to you whether a game has more "modern" mechanics, for good or ill?

Yes, but not in the sense that I consistently prefer one. I like the traditional feel of PF2, for example, and play that regularly. And then again in about 3 hours from now I'll be playing TALES FROM THE LOOP, which has not a single simulationist bone in its body.

 

[Lanefan]

For me, and as others have noted, "modern" might broadly equate to what is now called narrativist. Player ability to change the setting, player permission required to kill a character, granular resolution skipped in favour of getting to the next scene, that sort of thing.

One element not yet touched on, though: I see meta-currencies as a very modern-leaning mechanic even though there's been examples around since forever.

And yes it matters: while there's a very few modern mechanics I'll endorse (e.g. degrees of success-failure rather than pure binary), on the whole I'd prefer to avoid them as and when possible.

 

[mamba]

Modern to me is more focused on narrativist and/or gamist elements while ‘old’ is more simulationist.

are there specific sorts of mechanics that you consider more "modern" than others?

fail forward, multiple levels of success, clocks, playbooks, metacurrencies

Where do you draw the line at "modern"? Is it arbitrarily some year or the advent of some game? Or is there a qualitative to "modern" that transcends a clear line?

there are both old and modern games released today, so no clear line in time at least

Not sure if I would say PbtA demarks that line, but PbtA games generally land on the modern side for me (not that I know them all or even many)

And with the dicsussion of "modern" -- are there games with mechanics ahead of their time? Are there "regressive" games now?

old school, not regressive

Not sure I would consider 5e modern under my definition, so non-modern games definitely exist

Finally, does it matter to you whether a game has more "modern" mechanics, for good or ill?

I guess that depends on what mechanics it takes and how many. I am not overly fond of gamist games or ones that are ‘overly’ narrative, but some elements of either mixed in are ok, I do want a certain level of crunch and ‘hard’ rules however

 

[Parmandur]

are there games with mechanics ahead of their time?

To juat throw this out there: I think Classic Traveller's skill system was very ahead of it's time in 1978, and Pendrafon was waaaaaay ahead of it's time in narrative design focus.