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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dethklok" data-source="post: 6144809" data-attributes="member: 6746469">Be that as it may, the system would not rely "upon the DM to adjudicate situations that may not be adequately  covered, or supplemental rules to cover things that come up often in  whatever genre you're playing." All situations would be covered.Of course - you could likewise figure out the damage for those things in a game where all weapons deal 1 damage. (I'd probably have them deal 0 damage normally, but deal 1 damage on a strong hit, "whatever that means.") And obviously it wasn't hard to stat up the rake in D&D. Games don't need rules for everything, just enough rules to cover character creation, the common actions, items, and hazards, and (in non-generic games) frame the action in a setting. Doing this provides a springboard for in-game rulings so that the gamemaster has some precedents to draw from.Really, from what I'm taking away from this thread, there is no downside to a simple system, but there is such a thing as a system that is implausible, restrictive, or incomplete. It would be difficult for a coin flip system to be plausible, since two characters with different skill levels would both have the same chance for success. Likewise a simple system with too few attributes (like, maybe... three? I'm looking at you, DMMike) wouldn't be able to allow for characters who were, for example, brilliant but had poor senses. And of course a system that left out crucial aspects like equipment or wrestling would leave the gamemaster in a tough spot whenever people tried to buy things or pile on to a monster they were having trouble hurting with their weapons.I will therefore posit that every game concept has an ideal level of complexity, which is enough only to achieve verisimilitude, provide players with enough options to satisfy them, and give the gamemaster a framework for smoothly handling circumstances that aren't directly covered. Of course, the ideal level of complexity would vary within the different areas of system, according depend on the level of detail required for the feel of the game, so that a game like Ars Magica requires a complex magic system, whereas Call of Cthulhu doesn't. Nevertheless, it appears to me that a well designed game system is only as complex as it needs to be to be plausible, complete, and provide players with enjoyable options.</blockquote>

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