Designer's commentary and notes always interest me but I find them really annoying in the middle of the rules.  Gary Gygax's Mythus is probably the worst offender herein.  I suspect he'd had to defend the rules of D&D for so long that he felt the need to mount a daring attack on any criticism from the very first.

So, anyhow, here are some designer's notes for Dragon Shadowed Lands.  They're not complete, they might never be complete, heck, they're probably not the best use of my writing time at this point.  But, while the game needs more examples and some housekeeping in the combat and magic systems, I find myself wanting to address the "why bother" aspect of the project.  As if such a question could ever be adequately addressed.

Dragon Shadowed Lands Designers Notes

   One might ask why the world needs another fantasy roleplaying game.  Indeed one might argue it does not.  But then one might also ask why we need another song or television show or novel.

   Either way, the intellectual exercise of combining elements to create something to meet one's particular preferences is engaging and the act of game design leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation of existing game designs.  From the author's perspective there is also the appeal of owning and controlling the platform on which they build their settings and adventures and no longer being subject to the whims of corporate directors as they seek to maximize their profits.

   The objective of these rules is to provide a solid basis for settings and adventures that translates readily to other systems while offering a combination of reliability, flexibility, and rationality.   Dragon Shadowed Lands is a structured, detail oriented system that does not shy away from book keeping or mathematical solutions.  It is not intended to be particularly modular or flexible though a variety of subsystems from various prior drafts can be plugged in to meet specific needs.  For instance, the abstract distance and movement system still has some utility for those who wish to play without a map and miniatures or with large scale miniatures, like the ones I'm working on, which do not allow the luxury of a linear ground scale on even a large gaming table.

   What follows is an extended commentary on the design decisions underlying the overall structure.  It may prove useful in adjudicating or understanding the rules, but as ever, the Game Master's own good judgement should be considered supreme at their table.

Characters
   Dragon Shadowed Lands characters are highly detailed but the system is, at its base, a points system pretending to be a class and level game.  The option for random characteristics and personalized skill lists is completely integrated with the vocations, which have been built using exactly the same rules.

   A dozen characteristics may seem too much, but it seems better to me than long lists of advantages and disadvantages with which many games are burdened.  In particular the separation of Dexterity and Agility into discrete factors is often considered excessive but in reality a paraplegic in a wheel chair can still be a skilled craftsman or an expert shot while being entirely unable to scale a cliff face.  In part the number of characteristics reflects the demands of the skill system which applies three different characteristics to each skill block in an attempt to make a wide range of character builds viable and to discourage maximizing one characteristic at the expense of all others.  It also helps to avoid the question of which single characteristic applies to which skill.

   Experience levels have been used to enforce a degree of balance on characters while allowing some breadth of proficiency.  It is easy enough to maximize a character's key skills without crippling them by taking social or artistic skills.  Experience points are directly tied to the passage of time in order to provide a useful guide for the expertise of non-player characters.  Rather than assuming that the skill of the town baker is irrelevant the tool is provided for so that it can be determined when it becomes relevant.  The magic system provides the scope for spells that shake kingdoms and the various voluntary modifiers and the diminishing returns resolution option provide tools to run high powered games without resorting to endless layers of limits and ability ceilings.  Maximum characteristic levels have been left as an optional rule to facilitate this kind of play as well as allowing vocations to be used as a template for characters of any level.

   Social skills deserve some note here,  they are provided with the intent of encouraging players to attempt social solutions to conflicts by providing them the tools to do so on their character sheet.   Various social defences have also been provided for the same purpose.  Mechanically supported diplomacy only becomes a game breaking mechanic when the game fails to provide reasonable resistance to such activity.

   The sorting of the skills into blocks may also be controversial.  The assumption is that skills are not developed in a vacuum and represent high points in overall proficiency and hence there is significant overlap between the skills in a block.  This is represented by allowing points to be spent on the block itself thus raising general proficiency.  The penalty for unskilled activity is bought off quickly and cheaply at a rate of ten points to the point.  Of course, when casting powerful spells without the appropriate "Rote" skill the difficulty is effectively doubled.  The skills are grouped into the blocks by the broader relationship of similar activity and shared Characteristics.  The latter is primarily to reduce the density of the skill system.  If each skill used different Characteristics it would take much longer to create a character as the totals would have to be figured for every skill individually.  It also makes it easier to add skills to the game as one only needs to name them and assign them to a particular block.

   The races and vocations detailed are intentionally generic Medieval European types common to modern fantasy due to the overwhelming success of Professor Tolkien's masterpiece.  A certain bias towards less flamboyant or extreme versions of these is entirely intentional.  One need not presume that the game is intended to only cover that period and place.

Interesting. I shall subscribe.

Sounds reasonable. What more to say? I'll have to take a look at the game.

I'll just repeat what I already told the OP over PM: congratulations on writing a Rolemaster that I would gladly play.

How compatible is DSL with classic Rolemaster and MERP material?

Well, there are classes, levels, and percentile values, so it's not too hard to convert but the characteristics are different and on a different scale.  At low levels Rolemaster skills improve no more than ten points per level and DSL skills improve no more than nine points per level but don't start slowing down at fifth level, so they'll catch up and overtake eventually.  RM has diminishing returns built into skill improvement and open ended rolls.  DSL has an optional tool for bringing high and low scores back into the percentile range.

Since skills are on a percentile scale, using Arms Law requires no conversion.  Spell lists are a bit too narrow to use as Realms of Magic which would be more akin to professions in RM.  I got to where I felt the magic was too narrowly defined and rigid in RM and the number of magic using professions was too extensive as a result.  Not that they aren't characterful but one of my goals is to design games that don't require a forklift for transport.

Rolemaster Standard System characters cause some problems as between talents and training packages, a first level fighter can be built to have a 120 OB.  In DSL The "Experienced" birthright lets you start out with a second or even third level character, without ruining the overall utility of the level based structure.

Hit Point levels are in roughly the same range but DSL gives out more for stats and generally less for levels.  There's no built in niche protection mechanism like RM's skill costs but you still don't have enough points per level to be the best at everything.

"In particular the separation of Dexterity and Agility into discrete factors is often considered excessive but in reality a paraplegic in a wheel chair can still be a skilled craftsman or an expert shot while being entirely unable to scale a cliff face."


I have had a hair across my ass for years about this. I hate 'one stat' for all aspects of 'Dexterity'

I get that way about games where 'Reasoning' is lumped in with 'Will Power'

It depends a bit on the game's structure.  For instance, in GURPS DX and IQ are amalgamations of other abilities which can be sold off or bought up as desired.  As a result, GURPS has very tight basic characters.  And I can live with that.  But when you get into things like Centaurs, a single dexterity stat becomes absurd.  Worse still when it's applied to things like cattle which haven't got hands at all.

Resolution

   The core mechanic is a tried and true roll under percentile system.  It's ubiquitous and unimaginative but it's also easy to learn and intuitive.  The small advantage of a roll over system simply doesn't balance out the number of people who can't add double digit numbers in their heads.  Systems that use linear odds and additive modifiers tend to break down at the high and low end of the scale.  This is somewhat mitigated by voluntary modifiers that provide advantages for things like taking extra time or rushing but for those who wish to play very high or low level games, the diminishing returns table provides a uniformly incremental tool for adjusting ratings below twenty-five or above seventy-five.  Open-ended rolls produce more wildly staggered results and can be exciting in play but also make for a more absurdly random game.   A multiplicative modifier system would avoid the messy edge cases but it would also limit the accessibility of the game to those who struggle with basic arithmetic.  While the effect can be achieved with multiple die rolls, the value of doing so is restricted by the same time constraint as using a calculator at the table.  The result system is used to provide a degree of success that is derived from the success roll without resorting to division.  Its main role is determining the damage of blows struck in combat but can be used to grade a character's performance in just about any matter.

Combat
   The blow by blow detail of combat is intended to be fast and interesting.  It is possible to win by stratagem or manoeuver a foe into a bad position.  Movement and initiative are integrated to avoid bizarre results.  Initiative is fixed, not random so plans for the next turn can be made in advance.  As mentioned above an alternate, abstract movement system exists for more narrative play but in practice I find actual distances to be easier and less complex than any abstracted system.  I'd rather know my enemy was two paces from me than "close."  The basic mechanics of hitting and inflicting damage are pretty straight-forward but the ability to make additional attacks for a minus fifty and the ability to put points into reducing the enemy's defence provide some options beyond just taking another swing.  The free moves and forced moves serve to introduce some tactical options into personal combat.

   The two page hit location table is a little crazy.  It is intended to give the kind of detailed results that a critical hit table provides without the rigidity and odd results that come from preset flavour text.  The special results are keyed to a simple comparison of the damage inflicted to the target's Strength and are easy to implement.  Weapon damages are tied directly to Strength while armour's damage resistance is loosely tied to the strength of the wearer.  While an off the shelf suit will generally have a rating of ten, a larger, thicker and heavier custom suit will usually match the wearer's Strength.  Armor is damaged when penetrated.  Indestructible armour is a key flaw in many damage resistance systems.  In DSL armour loses some effectiveness when it is penetrated so a well armoured foe can be worn down over time.
   

Social activity
   Social rules are controversial and varied.  Some argue that no social rules are needed but the same could be said of any other part of the rules.  Without rules, social interactions are reduced to Game Master fiat and the players are likely to meet minor social inconveniences with violence all too often.  Besides, the characters might well be smarter, more clever, and more cultured than their players and it's nice to be able to represent these things in play.

Magic
   While it can be characterful and gives a wonderful sense of an arcane and chaotic universe, in practice it is undesirable to have volume upon volume of magical spells, each of which is a special case rule in its own right.  Especially when these become minor variations on specific game effects or mere increments in basic effects like area.  The extensive discussion of magical practices and tools found here is largely intended to make magic feel magical in spite of being a largely dry mechanical construct.  Wizards are not super heroes, they practice a difficult and involved art with real dangers.  It takes a great deal of time and effort to wield arcane power.  Magic is an extremely important part of a fantasy game and the mechanical system itself has been redesigned from the ground up half a dozen times.  The miasma rule exist to act as a characterful limitation on spell casting without resorting to tracking spell points and to create a need for downtime after working great arts.  The spells themselves are a structured, descriptive language not an effects based design.  Working and reworking that particular part of the game was easily the largest part of the work load.

Creatures
   In avoiding endless volumes of minor variations on core concepts, the various creatures are assumed to vary more by culture than actual characteristics.  Ice elves, celestial elves, mountain elves, and trailer elves, are all merely cultural variations on a common species profile.

Conclusion
   Overall, the more moving parts a game has, the more broken combinations and permutations enter into play.  A unified mechanic is a choke point that is much like a funnel in that it gets everything that passes through it into roughly the same area.  Whether Dragon Shadowed Lands manages to fall into the realm where detail and ease of use meet can only be left to the preferences of the individual gamer.

I'm moving along to building, or perhaps, reorganizing a setting.  I've got numerous bits and pieces of worlds I built for various campaigns over the years and I want to clean them up and unify them a bit.  I'm leaning towards a more naturalistic, low key setting, more in keeping with Lord of the Rings than Warcraft.  As such some of the crazy stuff like The Road of the Gods, Godsholm, The City of Iron, and The Furnace of Shadows won't be core to the setting.  I'll probably write them up as high level adventures or something.

Here's a fragment I'm working on.  It still needs a threat or a villain, everything's a bit too nicey nice at the moment but I don't plan to have a gathering darkness meta plot.  I'm going for a movements of nations and peoples approach so the Fell King and the King of the East won't be major influences.

Bracken Wood
   In the northwestern reaches of the kingdom of Dunseny there lies a land of rugged hills and thick, bramble choked woods.  A scattering of villages and crumbling keeps gives the kingdom claim to this backwoods foothold.  Wood from the forests are traded down river into the hungry market of the more settled kingdom.  The local folk are hardy and independent, raising a strong if boisterous militia to defend their fields from bogies and elves of the deep woods and hills.

   The Bracken Wood was colonized by order of King Albert the third in the tenth year of his reign.  By that time, lax forestry practices in the greater kingdom had gutted the woodlands And the inflated cost of wood drew folk up the rivers into the uncivilized hill country.  While there were some clashes with the uncouth locals, the lure of fine goods from the south and good natured generosity of the woodsmen soon   A number of simple, square keeps were built to defend the king’s claim to the land and establish taxation.
 
Aesir
   The great folk of the north at times wander south into the Bracken Wood.  They are a mighty and proud race but are fond of hospitality, a good drink, and tales of heroism.

Barbarians
   A number of rough villages of the native people are still found in the outlying norther regions.  These give no tribute to the king of Dunseny and worship their own tribal gods in spite of the best efforts of centuries of disappointed southern missionaries.  There have been occasional disputes, raids, and skirmishes over the years but there is little bad blood between human folk as both sides tend to view such unfortunate events as a lively distraction from the dull and grinding work of day to day survival.  Such feuds tend to end in prisoner exchanges and a few weddings.

Bogies
   Few suspect that the wee folk of the kingdom of Dunseny are closely related to the dark and savage tribes of the deep woods.  Yet they are of one race and unrelated to the goblins of the south.  Bogey villages are built over springs, out of thorny brambles and rocks and are often hard to distinguish from the tangled woodland around them.  Those who wander too close to these settlements are often ambushed by stealthy war bands.  As they have never turned to metal work or weaving Bogies wield primitive stone weapons and wear crude leather garments.

Common Trolls
   The feral relatives of the great trolls plague the hill country.  Primitive, and savage, they prey on their neighbours and

Dragons
   There still dragons in the deep woods.  Most are smaller, young dragons, which lair in caves and hollows, living on deer and stolen sheep.  A few larger specimens have found their way into ancient burial mounds where they brood over the meagre hoards of ancient kings.


Errant Knights
   Young gallants often ride north out of the greater kingdom, looking to slay a dragon or a troll for honour and glory.  These are a cause for great excitement and no small amount of trouble but the local lords welcome them with open arms as nobody in their right mind wants to deal with a dragon or a troll when there’s some addle brained southerner volunteering to take the risk.  Besides, few of them return and even fewer choose to stay and settle in the northlands.

Hill Elves
   An ancient tribe of elves still wander in the Bracken Wood, dwelling beneath the hills and wandering the woods on their own unknowable business.  These have little use for men but will at times steal away young children or women or kill lone folk in the fields.  The common folk know well to avoid places where the hill elves linger.

Robbers
   The folk of the Bracken Wood are not wealthy and organized banditry is all but unknown.  But the notorious bandit chieftain Barschum has his stronghold in the southern woods, from which his bands raid southwards.  Barschum is known to be a large, bald, moustached man with a deep booming voice.  He is said to be fond of minstrels and kind to disenfranchised young souls who find themselves at odds with the hard life of forestry and farming to which they were born.

The White Child
   There is a local legend of a spirit resembling a weeping child in a ragged white shift that haunts the woods.  In some tales she is aided by travellers in some obscure task and later aids them.  In others she terrorizes them, leaving death and madness in her wake.  The tribe folk regard her as a best unnamed and un-worshipped minor goddess while the villagers see her as a dark omen of the wild.

Wait!  I talk about all this cool stuff and don't explain it, well, okay I'll define a few things.

The Furnace of Shadows
The furnace is a series of volcanic vent tubes dating to a primeval time when the area was under sea.  It is said that the gods take the good in men's souls and refine it in the furnace of shadows and the evil goes  up in the smoke and onto the winds of the world.  The furnace is also home to the shadow dragon Apherazahn.

The City of Iron
All the stone in this city was turned to iron by a god.  It is considered the most invincible fortress in the world.  The knights of black retribution have their citadel and monastery there.

The Road of the Gods
The gods created this great square road in the golden age when they lived among men.  The road is straight and flat, soft under foot, and hard under wheels.  It is covered in an intricate and colorful mosaic pattern which slowy shifts over the years.  It cuts through hills and mountains without a rise or a curve for a thousand miles on each of its four sides.  The high kingdom grew up along the road but is still mostly wilderness in its center.

The Fell King
Long ago, a mighty king rode to war and conquered all that rose before him but in time his men grew weary and his generals treacherous.  Then after praying to the gods of war his armies happened upon an orcish horde.  Though his men fell about him he praised his bloody gods and struck down their warlord, claiming rulership for himself.  At last an army that would never be satiated or look back was his.  In due course they circumnavigated the world, coming at last to his home land where the orcs lay him to rest in great honor before dispersing.

The King of The East
It is said this nomad lord is like the rising of the sun.  His armies are as terrible as the deserts from which they hail.  For here is a man, who has slain a god and assumed the mantle and power of one and makes war upon the earthly nations with it without the mandate of heaven.

See?  Big over the top stuff.  It has its place and it's fun, but it's off tone for what I'm working on.

One thing I want to do with Dragon Shadowed Lands is to set up a living campaign building system.  That is a set of rules for collaborative setting building.  These would work somewhat like realm management rules but with the intent of actually building a collaborative world.

Essentially each creator gets a land grant of a number of hexes that have to match up along the other hexes and then write up the contents with-in the parameters of the setting.  So, for instance you can't just change how gods or magic work though you can introduce an interesting exception so long as it isn't over powered or broken.

There'd be an inheritance like structure where you can link the peoples of your creation to their neigbours as migrations of cultures and so forth.

Kind of Settlers of Catan meets Civilization meets D&D.

I only have one, impossibly minor suggestion: put a hyphen between Dragon and Shadowed.  It's grammatically sound (since it's a compound adjective or "adjcetival phrase") and it has the added bonus of sounding more like a Norse kenning.

Kinda like Spidey's web in Spider-Man eh?  Maybe, it's harder to make cool than a dragon shaped ampersand, I'm still not totally sold on Dragon-Shadow'd Lands (just trying it out like) but In The Shadow of Dragons was used for a recent D&D comic and I don't want to get litigated.  Maybe the modern version should be In the Shadow of Lawyers

Oh well, here's some stuff I couldn't put on rpgnet but might get me some publicity there, all bad of course

Celestial Elves
   Once in ancient times the elves came down, sailing on moon and starlight out of the heavens to wage their eternal war with the trolls.  Now as the darkness grows they are returning on their white ships wearing their shining armor and bearing bright spears.

Hill Elves
   When the Celestial Elves returned again to the heavens there were those among them that chose to remain, or perhaps, as others tell it, were left behind.  Perhaps it was the magical connections that they had developed with wood and hill or some long plan of their lords to prepare fitting allies for the day of their return.


Troll Lands
   The common troll is a well known danger in areas on the fringes of civilization.  Large, tough, stupid and hungry they prey on outlying farmsteads and herds until some young hero hunts them down to make a name for themselves. Yet, such are but the degenerate descendants of a race so fearsome as to make war upon the gods themselves.  These call a twisted and bitter continent in the northern seas their home, from whence their vessels rise into the heavens upon ghostly waves of rainbow light to wage eternal war.

   The troll lands are not so much a continent as a shelf of deliberately placed volcanoes which form a rough pentagram.  As such, the land is rocky and covered in sharp outcroppings of obsidian and flint.  The native sand is abrasive and mixed with sharp splinters of volcanic glass.  What soil there is comes from the careful composting of waste and refuse.  The mountains are rich sources of gold and iron though coal is almost unknown and there is a secret trade with the lands of men to bring coal to the forges of the trolls.  The dreaded “Black Brotherhood” actually take their name from the coal they smuggle to the southern troll ports.

   The flora and fauna of the troll lands is as abrasive and sharp as the land itself.  Everything is covered with sharp spines and needles.  The natural order of these creatures is closer to that of the trolls themselves neither mammal nor reptile but rather something in between yet divergent from even that frame of reference.

The trolls are masters of controlled breeding and there are many kinds of troll, each created to fill a specific role.

The Black Band
   The coal smugglers who trade with the troll lands belong to a dark doctrine.  Led by the Warlock Andracrael they seek the downfall of the gods themselves.  They supplement their trade in coal with live captives.  The trolls neither need nor desire human slaves but there is something in human flesh which lends youth and longevity to the trolls and their chefs delight in cruel recipes which leave the victims in horrible pain and suffering as they wait to be consumed.

Barschumm Sez

   Andacrael?  Met him once, I did, some years back when we was both a touch greener and less firm in our courses.  He comes to me saying “I can help you tear down the world and mete out vengeance for the wrongs it has done you.”  And I says to him, “I am the wrongs that the world does to other men.”  So, he says to me, “Together we can shake the heavens and make the gods rue the day they dared to raise themselves above mortal men.”  And I tell him that I thank the gods every day that I am strong and no fool, for I know my place in things.  The wolf that kills deer for sport soon goes hungry.”  And he offers me riches and women and I tell him, “Riches I have and can take more as I like but a sheep or a cow makes a better meal.  And as for women, my wife is too much woman for one man to handle.”  He’d have liked to kill me then, I think.  I should have killed him but I thought he’d meet an unhappy end soon enough the way he went on.  I won’t waste a second chance.

Base Trolls
   Bred to serve as slaves, these trolls are no larger than a human, though more hunched and wiry.  Base Trolls are dull witted and eager to serve.  They are prone to simple brutality rather than any more intricate cruelty.

Abilities:   
   Bite Attack
   Claw Attack
   Nocturnal

   Hearing   0
   Sight      +1
   Smell/Taste   +1
   Touch      -2

   Agility   5+1d10
   Appearance   2+1d10
   Constitution   7+1d10
   Dexterity   5+1d10
   Fortune   5+1d10
   Reason   4+1d10
   Knowledge   4+1d10
   Perception   5+1d10
   Status      1d10
   Strength   6+1d10
   Voice      2+1d10
   Willpower   4+1d10

Bog Trolls
   This distaff branch of the troll race has become intermingled with the dreaded grey mould.  Due to their unusual physiology the mould cannot digest the troll and interacts in a symbiotic relationship, healing wounds at a fantastic rate.  Naturally this state influences the troll’s mind and makes it the least intelligent and strangest breed of troll.

Abilities:   
   Bite Attack
   Claw Attack
   Nocturnal

   Hearing   0
   Sight      +1
   Smell/Taste   +1
   Touch      -2

   Agility   5+1d10
   Appearance   2+1d10
   Constitution   9+1d10
   Dexterity   4+1d10
   Fortune   5+1d10
   Reason   3+1d10
   Knowledge   4+1d10
   Perception   7+1d10
   Status      1d10
   Strength   7+1d10
   Voice      2+1d10
   Willpower   6+1d10

Common Trolls
   Removed from their tightly controlled breeding programs and regimented society, trolls quickly degenerate into a primitive and savage state.

Abilities:   
   Bite Attack
   Claw Attack
   Nocturnal

   Hearing   0
   Sight      +1
   Smell/Taste   +1
   Touch      -2

   Agility   4+1d10
   Appearance   2+1d10
   Constitution   7+1d10
   Dexterity   4+1d10
   Fortune   5+1d10
   Reason   4+1d10
   Knowledge   4+1d10
   Perception   7+1d10
   Status      1d10
   Strength   9+1d10
   Voice      2+1d10
   Willpower   8+1d10


Dwarf Trolls
   These burly horrors are very much the size and shape of the dwarves, they were created to infiltrate and fight in their low ceilinged  tunnels.  Dwarf trolls often learn illusion magic which they use to disguise their hideous visage and present themselves as dwarves.

Abilities:   
   Bite Attack
   Claw Attack
   Nocturnal

   Hearing   0
   Sight      +1
   Smell/Taste   +1
   Touch      -2

   Agility   5+1d10
   Appearance   2+1d10
   Constitution   7+1d10
   Dexterity   5+1d10
   Fortune   5+1d10
   Reason   5+1d10
   Knowledge   5+1d10
   Perception   5+1d10
   Status      5+1d10
   Strength   6+1d10
   Voice      5+1d10
   Willpower   6+1d10

High Trolls
   Also known as giant trolls, the lords of the trolls are almost a race apart, growing as tall as twenty feet in height they are able to dominate their fellows by main force.  The high trolls are the most refined and militant of the trolls and are utterly without compassion for any lesser beings.  Pure egotists bordering on solisphisism, the high trolls regard the very universe as existing for their own gratification and amusement.  High trolls are immortal like true trolls and regenerate like bog trolls.

Abilities:
   Armor   
   Bite Attack
   Claw Attack
   Nocturnal

   Hearing   0
   Sight      +1
   Smell/Taste   +1
   Touch      -2

   Agility   3+1d10
   Appearance   2+1d10
   Constitution   7+1d10
   Dexterity   3+1d10
   Fortune   5+1d10
   Reason   6+1d10
   Knowledge   6+1d10
   Perception   6+1d10
   Status      10+1d10
   Strength   15+5d10
   Voice      2+1d10
   Willpower   7+1d10

Night Shards
   The deadly night hunting predators of the troll lands resemble a cross between a panther and a weasel with a sharp ridge of spines and a crest of porcupine-like needles running down their back.  Night shards are relentless stalkers that watch for their prey to separate itself from the group and the light and hope before pouncing.

Abilities:   
   Bite Attack
   Claw Attack
   Nocturnal
   No Hands

   Hearing   0
   Sight      +1
   Smell/Taste   +1
   Touch      -2

   Agility   10+1d10
   Appearance   2+1d10
   Constitution   6+1d10
   Dexterity   3+1d10
   Fortune   5+1d10
   Reason   1+1d10
   Knowledge   1+1d10
   Perception   10+1d10
   Status      1d10
   Strength   6+1d10
   Voice      2+1d10
   Willpower   6+1d10

Troll Wives
   Female trolls are hulking brutes that bear litters of as many as six.  Kept in pens or cells they are dangerous and feral creatures, they scheme against their male masters and are known to consume their own offspring if they are not removed to safer environs.  Fortunately troll infants are ambulatory and thrive on meat and refuse and are thus easy to raise and care for.

Troll Maids
   High trolls are aware of aesthetic concerns like beauty and while they recognize the value of Troll Wives to the race, often desire better company.  Making consorts of fair giantesses and victims of captive titans they have bred a new kind of female troll.  Tall and fair, Troll Maids are intelligent and submissive to their masters.  They are, however less fecund and fertile than Troll Wives and often die during pregnancy or while giving birth. In practice they are but highly prized and well treated decorations.
   

True Trolls
   The true trolls stand between eight and twelve feet tall and are straight backed and wirey.  These are the pure strain of the race from which the others are descended.  Being as intelligent as humans but lacking their capacity for compassion and empathy, true trolls often practice magic, but lacking patience they prefer illusions and deceptions to the higher arts.  True trolls are not exactly immortal but can achieve incredibly long lives by consuming other sentient beings.

Abilities:   
   Bite Attack
   Claw Attack
   Nocturnal

   Hearing   0
   Sight      +1
   Smell/Taste   +1
   Touch      -2

   Agility   4+1d10
   Appearance   2+1d10
   Constitution   6+1d10
   Dexterity   5+1d10
   Fortune   5+1d10
   Reason   5+1d10
   Knowledge   5+1d10
   Perception   5+1d10
   Status      7+1d10
   Strength   9+1d10
   Voice      2+1d10
   Willpower   7+1d10

Should the entry for bog trolls say 'distaff' or should that be 'distant'? (Is that why you're expecting Purple to disapprove, I can't see anything else there that looks objectionable, perhaps I'm being naive?).

Having read the rules generally I can't find anything major to complain about. Its not quite to my personal tastes inasmuch as I don't want to bother tracking 12 attributes when attributes are only adding infinitesimal bonuses of a few percent most of the time, but I can't call it a major thing. Plus as an munchkin I enjoy more special abilities and such from levelling up (the chargen minigame). The world background and general vibe is pretty nice though.

It's the implied rape with the female trolls and breeding practices that I'd expect to cause some seizures over there.  Well and sweet young thing soup and flaming live elf on a stick and other such trollish delicacies.

I recognize that the system isn't going to be to everyone's taste.  I'll argue that while the character building mini-game is subtler, it is still there.  You need to bring many small things together to build a powerful character.  It's inspired by Rolemaster Standard System, but hopefully more transparent and largely free from recursive redundancies.

I'm pretty sure I meant distaff but I'll have to look it up to be sure.  I meant the embarrassing close relatives you don't talk about.

I'm trying for a less dark tone in general, almost more of a Disney tone even, because I want the very dark bits to stand out starkly.