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Point of Discussion
Since I know my friends list is almost /entirely/ made up of gamers, I'll ask:
What makes a good RPG system for you?
This isn't a matter of organization, or of artwork, or of cost. What is it, specifically about a game system, that gets your attention and revs your engines?
For me:
Between 5 and 8 descriptive stats that give a good, easily communicated, picture of a character's general competence. Tri-Stat, although I like the flexibility of it, I hardly ever actually /use/. Anything with more than 8 or 9 stats, on the other hand, is too much of a pain in the ass to teach and use. I /like/ D&D stats, although leave off the Comeliness, thanks.
Simple, dice-based, combat resolution. For me, Unknown Armies has just nearly the perfect combat resolution system. It can be damned deadly, but it follows the same simple formula under almost all circumstances, has provisions for a variety of weapons and fighting styles, and best of all, is easy to extrapolate a reasonable solution to any combat situation the rules don't specifically cover. In Nomine, love it though I do, is a good example of frustrating combat.
Abstract health. I don't like hit tables, or having to calcuate crippling chances for each limb, or having to keep track of how much armor is over each body part. Give me some hit points, health points, vital points, or whatever you want to call it, and I can make up the rest as I go along.
Fatigue system for magic/psychic/supernatural abilities. I've actually /yet/ to see one that I really like. I know the system I want to see, but it's not been implemented in any game that I'm familiar with. And that's a darned shame.
So. Those are the ones that immediately spring to my mind. What turns /you/ on?
What makes a good RPG system for you?
This isn't a matter of organization, or of artwork, or of cost. What is it, specifically about a game system, that gets your attention and revs your engines?
For me:
Between 5 and 8 descriptive stats that give a good, easily communicated, picture of a character's general competence. Tri-Stat, although I like the flexibility of it, I hardly ever actually /use/. Anything with more than 8 or 9 stats, on the other hand, is too much of a pain in the ass to teach and use. I /like/ D&D stats, although leave off the Comeliness, thanks.
Simple, dice-based, combat resolution. For me, Unknown Armies has just nearly the perfect combat resolution system. It can be damned deadly, but it follows the same simple formula under almost all circumstances, has provisions for a variety of weapons and fighting styles, and best of all, is easy to extrapolate a reasonable solution to any combat situation the rules don't specifically cover. In Nomine, love it though I do, is a good example of frustrating combat.
Abstract health. I don't like hit tables, or having to calcuate crippling chances for each limb, or having to keep track of how much armor is over each body part. Give me some hit points, health points, vital points, or whatever you want to call it, and I can make up the rest as I go along.
Fatigue system for magic/psychic/supernatural abilities. I've actually /yet/ to see one that I really like. I know the system I want to see, but it's not been implemented in any game that I'm familiar with. And that's a darned shame.
So. Those are the ones that immediately spring to my mind. What turns /you/ on?
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Yeah, I'm about there -- In Nomine still takes me longer because I always feel so dang overwhelmed about choosing Songs and such. For some reason my brain can't handle Songs in IN.
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*coughs* Not that I'm bitter or anything. Oddly enough, I usually deal with that same inability to choose Songs by making characters who have none, or have only a single Song that goes exceptionally well with their style (Healing for Flowers/Children types, Thunder for Wind, Affinity for, well, any Lilim... And so forth). Which is perhaps a cop-out.
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Speaking of flexibility, I wish Songs in IN were more flexible than they are. You can make them a little moreso if your character is a Virtuoso, but that's a very difficult mastery to attain.
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I've found burning starting points on skills is a better buy in the long run than songs.
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And, yeah, I can see the LCant making Song-choices a touch overwhelming.
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