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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 9349419" data-attributes="member: 20323">My mind was blown when I heard two players discuss 3rd edition mechanics like prestige classes as "classic." So I agree that it's a very personal question that is a moving target.What makes something "classic feel with modern design"?Answering your question focused on design – as opposed to themes/motifs/genres – here's my take... [USER=9053]@SteveC[/USER] describes old-school design as disconnected sub-systems... and while that often was objectively true in past games, I consider this "<a href="https://traversefantasy.blogspot.com/2022/12/osr-rules-families.html" target="_blank">old school baroque</a>" design.The thing about classic feel is that it's an emotional goal. It's less about recreating how OD&D, 1e, 2e, BD&D, or whatever edition was designed in terms of specific rules. I would describe the emotional goal as:The game happens at the table by encouraging player ingenuity and looking to their creativity for answers first, and discourages the character building game and looking to their sheet for answers first.For me, that's the core feeling of "classic" D&D/adjacent games that I want. ..It's a matter of degree, I think, so the goal isn't to make the character sheet irrelevant, for instance."Modern" design may be minimalistic like [USER=7040941]@Emberashh[/USER] suggests, but I don't think that's the only way to skin the cat of "modern" design in terms of classic feel. ...Or maybe it's minimalistic in comparison to 3e, 5e, PF, PF2e, etc.Another way I see "modern" design is that it's about a cohesive rules framework that is not "baroque" disconnected subsystems. For example, an attack matrix vs AC based on weapon wielded vs. armor type would be the opposite of "modern" design.So, when I hear "modern" design (in the context of "classic" feel), I think that's synonymous with streamlined. The number of disconnected subsystems is minimized in favor of cohesive rules, and if there's a proliferation of character options they're not overlapping/redundant/all-at-once, but rather fill unique necessary niches and are organized in a way that's more digestible.Edit: Btw, I think it's possible to have a game that's "classic feel with modern design" AND includes streamlined disconnected sub-sytems (e.g. quantum arrows/ammo dice from Into the Odd...iirc) AND has some degree of a character building mini-game (e.g. playbooks from Freebooters on the Frontier).Just my two coppers.</blockquote>

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