tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-383500061797506831.post3776499441602979618..comments2023-04-26T02:01:33.086-04:00Comments on Swords Against the Outer Dark: [Sword & Sanity RPG] Resolution SystemsShane Mangushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865733072718219138noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-383500061797506831.post-35010547174559325832010-11-24T12:52:29.003-05:002010-11-24T12:52:29.003-05:00I think it's a matter of flavour and taste. I ...I think it's a matter of flavour and taste. I can see why a universal mechanic would be desirable, and sometimes that's the way my interests lie. It's neat and coherent. Then again, there's some very Gamist fun to be had in the idea of having a different ruleset to handle each character's abilities, and I find that when it comes to <i>D&D</i> at least, I lean toward that direction.thekelvingreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01928260185408072124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-383500061797506831.post-73788306595693900172010-11-24T12:21:44.082-05:002010-11-24T12:21:44.082-05:00Personally, in my game mechanics I've been wor...Personally, in my game mechanics I've been working on for my science fiction game, I used a d10 based resolution system. In fact, every conflict in the game would be handled with the same dice, stats, and skills. The reason for this was to streamline the gameplay. I didn't want players to have to roll dice and think hard and do math to do simple things in the game, rather prefering that the rules remain in the background and that imagination be the rule and roll of the day. Unified all the way.<br /><br />But this post has made me think twice about that. Possibly I could use both the custom signed 2d10, take lowest method I am using, and also use a d00 method, positive die being the 10s, for certain other things. I shall have to think on this.Jeoshuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03366548109750882792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-383500061797506831.post-27068221344804549042010-11-24T10:44:00.193-05:002010-11-24T10:44:00.193-05:00I've always been attracted to universal mechan...I've always been attracted to universal mechanics - they satisfy my innate desire for symmetry and elegance. But I think that sometimes you can push a unified mechanic too far, using out of hide-bound obsession rather than genuine pragmatism.<br /><br />I've been wrestling with this issue, myself, lately as I've been working on my own project and have a universal task resolution mechanic based around rolling under your ability score that I quite like, but I find myself tempted to shoehorn this mechanic into everything.<br /><br />I think you've struck upon a nice balance, Shane, with just a few different, well organized, categories of mechanics. Each serves its purpose while avoiding the chaotic helter-skelter of methods that so offends my need for order and structure.Sean Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429301144221551751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-383500061797506831.post-63316096440792829582010-11-24T08:38:19.804-05:002010-11-24T08:38:19.804-05:00I like the point that both of you are making about...I like the point that both of you are making about different mechanics for each character class creating an individual feel for each type. It is hard to resist the temptation of creating a "universal" method for handling actions, when actually a bunch of small resolution systems may do the job better.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449933184261945913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-383500061797506831.post-59200504422743654172010-11-24T03:26:39.450-05:002010-11-24T03:26:39.450-05:00I went around on this myself, when I was thinking ...I went around on this myself, when I was thinking of running a <i>Labyrinth Lord</i> game. I started out changing all class abilities to be based on a d6 roll, so they'd match up with the generic abilities, but something was missing.<br /><br />I realised that I liked the way the different task resolution systems worked, because it helped emphasise the differences between the classes. If you're playing a thief, then you've got your percentile dice at your side of the table, and no one else has them, so that makes your character feel more unique than it does when you just have "Thief" written at the top of your character sheet.<br /><br />(I blame/thank my experiences with <i>D&D4</i> for this. There is a game in which every class and sub-class works in exactly the same way, using the same mechanics and the same dice, and a lot of the unique feel of the classes is lost. I realised I missed that, and didn't want to bring the same flatness into <i>LL</i>.)<br /><br />So if I were to run <i>LL</i> again, I'd keep all the subsystems. I might make a slight concession to modernity and change them so that they all roll high or something like that, but that would be it.thekelvingreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01928260185408072124noreply@blogger.com