Hi all,
     I've lurked around this site for a few years now and really like the general feel.  The game I have been working on for the past two and a half years, the Third Kingdom, is almost done and ready for playtesting.  If you are interested you can download the .pdf from //www.thirdkingdomgame.com.  It is a fantasy rpg based around the following concepts:
1)No classes, point-buy creation system.  Character abilities are defined in part by their Talents and skills, of which there are many of both, so an almost infinite number of permutations are possible.
2)Characters are human.  There are many other humanoid races, but the PCs are only humans.  The Player's Handbook introduces 12 ethnic groupings.
3)Magic is omnipresent.  Magic, or "plasm" permeates the world.  Through the purchase of Talents, any character has the potential to utilize their internal magic to cast spells, enhance characteristics, shapechange, etc.
4)Simple mechanic.  Only a d10 is needed to play (or perhaps two).  The mechanics have been kept as simple as possible.  That being said, it is not a "rules-lite" system and is filled with plenty of "crunch".
5)Plenty more stuff.  I just can't list it all.
     If you're interested, take a look.  Any comments you guys could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Todd
thirdkingdom@yahoo.com
//www.thirdkingdomgame.com

A broad and general question to allow you to talk about it in more detail:

What improvements is it intended to have over existing systems?

Quote from: Age of Fable;288546A broad and general question to allow you to talk about it in more detail:

What improvements is it intended to have over existing systems?

This may sound like a bit of a cop-out but honestly I don't know how to answer the question.  Some background.  I really haven't gamed seriously since 1996 (I used to play a bunch of commercially available games and a homebrew I had written).  About three years ago my stepson got interested in D&D (3.5); I started playing with him and some other people.  The Third Kingdom was (is) basically just a germ of an idea that grew and grew.  So I'm actually not that aware of what "existing systems" there are to compare it to, especially when all the current indy games are considered.  I thought I had come up with a unique mechanic and found out a few weeks ago it is similar to something called the "Unisystem", which I swear I had never heard of before in my life.

     I just thought of a selling point . . . if you are interested in seeing a game designed by someone untainted by the past ten years of RPG design take a look at the Third Kingdom (//www.thirdkingdomgame.com).  And when I say untainted, I promise that I did not copy anything for 3.5 (or 4e, for that matter, which the Pundit might be pleased to hear that my 11-year old stepson absolutely despises  . . . "It's just not D&D anymore", he says.

Todd

So what improvements does it have over systems that were around in 1996?

I find this a very difficult question to answer, simply because so many different people have different ideas about what "improvements" are.  Should I try and sell you on a feature that you already despise?  For instance, I have noticed that you tend to focus on tables, which are something that I have tried hard to avoid (or rather, I have tried to include only "essential" tables).  I think at this point I would rather just announce that it is almost done and available, spend my available free time finishing it.  If someone is interested and wants to look at it, great.  If not, that's fine.  No offense.

Todd