So, sort of off topic on the other thread...

Bouncing back and forth between various guiding principles for microlite, so first step is really nailing down the core philosophy.

5e basic concepts, but a lot of fiddly details removed. Maybe only a few generic weapons and the rest is fluff (so, one-handed melee), a few armors.

I'm inclined to skip bonuses to ability scores, generally, because it seems raising level effect just for the sake of it. I personally have no problem with making advancement relatively less dramatic.

Races and classes stripped down a bit. Spells... hoo boy. Still debating that one.

I think one of the critical bits in making a lite system is focusing more on the game itself and playing, rather than character tinkering. There should be a few cool options, and then shut up and play.

I also want to take a nod toward older style play, and encourage people to 'do stuff,' where 'do stuff' is somewhat vague and story-driven. Practically speaking, while this might seem 'hippy dippy,' returning discretion to the GM and players also helps simplify rules considerably, since you don't have to work out eeeeverything little thing.


Fighters have a schtick, 'extra attacks.' A few weapon styles. Perhaps a general ability to do combatty maneuvers and stuff in combat, maybe swapping extra attacks for knocking things down, bracing doors, disarming, etc.

Rogues have a clear schtick of sneak attack. I'm ... not a huge fan of sneak attack, but I think changing sneak attack drastically runs the danger of wandering too far afield from '5e microlite' into 'Will's D&D that smells faintly of 5e.'
Sneak attack does help balance rogues, with one or two attacks, to Fighter's potential 4 attacks.
Again, rogues should have a few sneaky around/skilly abilities, and perhaps an extra ability to move around in combat, perform tricks (sand in the eyes).

Wizards... hoo boy. One thought is to outline a few specific abilities with variable flavor to attack, defend, and do various useful things. In combat, perhaps an open ended 'manipulate the battlefield.'
Maybe a simple metasystem to make spells (this can easily turn into a not so simple metasystem, so I'm reluctant to get that into it)


So, to recap... I think key to microlite is giving races/classes less stuff, but making stuff more important.

I've had a look at 5e classes and a lot of them have the ability to use magic (limited or otherwise by the system). Does this fit with your vision, if not: How would you deal with this? Cut out the ability entirely? Cut the classes?

It depends highly on just what I end up doing with magic.

If I have a somewhat open-ended 'you do STUFF with magic,' a Ranger might be able to make a Perception check to notice that there is some weird influence on the local vegetation, or pluck local ingredients to make a healing poultice, or something.

If I do somewhat simplified, broad spells, then maybe limited casters get one or two of these spells.

I'm interested in this project. I just failed a month-long challenge with Barak Blackburn (author of Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul- a supers game) to distill D&D down to its most important parts. His is turning out well, but mine will probably never see the light of day. I tried for a distillation of the spirit of the game with all new mechanics, and I wrote myself into a corner, rules-wise.

Microlite sounds interesting. I have a use for a game like this. I like the idea of giving spellcasters the broad authority to define certain aspects of the game, but I recognize it as a hard problem to crack.

After my post over in the other thread. It dawned on my that such a thing allready existed.

TSR's Cardmaster set by Richard Borg.

This thing is the micro of microlite D&D. It pares it down to past the skeleton and marrow to just a ghost.

Its actually quite playable. But possibly TOO microlite.

The actual RPG rules could fit on an index card. I know. I've got the index card right here.

For example the Warrior rolls a d10 for attacks and  hits on a 7-10. You roll a number of dice equal to your level. A monster rolls a d8 and hits on a 6-8. Rolling as many times as its got HD. The HD on a monster act as hits. The PCs though had HP. The 4th level warrior PC/NPC has 14.
Spells worked much the same. The wizard spells did damage. Thats it. The Cleric did healing. The level of the spell determined the type of die used. A d10 for 4th level spells for example. The result determined how much damage was done based on a single escalating table. And you rolled a number of dice equal to your level.

wham bam and you are off and running.

TSR never followed up on it. But it was standalone or useable as a DM tool. Even playable solo as a more or less straight up dungeoncrawler. The quests were interesting though for using the decorations in the rooms as possible plot elements. Like one quest has you looking for skulls.

My stab at it:

STATS: There are 3: Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX) and Mind (MIND). StatMod=(STAT/-10)/2, round down. Use the abbreviation in CAPS, above, when referring to the MOD.   

Generating Stats: Roll 4d6 three times. Drop the lowest dice on reach roll. Assign as desired.   

Stat Improvement: At even-numbered levels, add +1 to one stat of your choice.

Stat Maximum: The max is 20 (+5).

LEVELS: Experience Points: Experience is acquired through overcoming obstacles and challenges. Each time you level, XP's reset to 0. The amount needed for the next level is determined by multiplying your current level by 10. Example: A lvl. 2 character needs 20 XP's for level 3 (or 2x10).    

Maximum Level: The maximum level in the game is 20

SKILLS: There are 4: Communications: used for interpersonal relations and insight; Knowledge: used for what the character has learned or knows; Physical: used to run, jump, swim, climb, etc.; Subterfuge: used for sneaking, locks, lying, etc.

RACES:
Dwarf
Medium Size; +2 Strength; Speed: 25'; Abilities: darkvision 60'; advantage and resistance on poison saves; Proficiencies: Physical; battle axe, handaxe, throwing hammer, warhammer, tools [choose one from smith's, brewer's or mason's];

Elf
Medium Size; +2 Mind; Speed: 30'; Darkvision 60'; Abilites: Trance; Advantage versus charm spells; immune to sleep spells; one free language; Proficiencies: Knowledge or Subterfuge; longsword, shortsword, shortbow, longbow.

Halfling
Small Size; +2 Dexterity; Speed: 25'; Abilities: Lucky [re-roll 1's, must take second result]; Brave [advantage versus fear]; Nimble [can move through spaces of larger creatures, or hide behind them]; Proficiencies: Communications or Subterfuge

Human
Medium Size; +1 to all stats; Speed: 30'; Abilities: speak one extra language of your choice; Proficiencies: one of your choice..

CLASSES:
Cleric
Hit Dice: d8; Saves: Mind or Strength; Skills: Communications, Knowledge (Religion, History); Proficiencies: Light and Medium Armor; shields; all weapons of a type (B,S or P); Abilities: Fighting Style (choose one from: Defense, Great Weapon or Protection), Channel Divinity (Destroy Undead/Preserve Life); Divine Strike (7th level) +d8 radiant damage [increases to +2d8 at level 14]; Favored of the Gods (8th level): advantage on one save type of your choice; 16th level=advantage on all saves.

Fighter
Hit Dice: d10; Saves: Strength; Skills: Physical, Knowledge (one from: History, Martial, Medical or Nature); Proficiencies: All armor and weapons; Gaming set; Abilities: 1 extra attack at levels 5, 10 and 15; Fighting Styles (choose one; all choices available); Second Wind (d10+level hp's [bonus action]).

Rogue
Hit Dice: d8; Saves: Dexterity; Skills: Communications (Deception); Subterfuge; Proficiencies: Light armor, simple weapons; finesse weapons; longsword; crossbows; longbows; Thieve's Tools; Abilities: Thieve's Cant; Fighting Style (choose one from: Archery, Defense, Dueling); Sneak Attack; Accomplished Thief (3rd level; advantage on stealth, locks and traps); Uncanny Dodge (7th level): advantage on  DEX saves; Use Magic Device (13th level): use any device, regardless of race, class or other limit; Slippery Mind (15th lvl; proficiency in Mind saves).

Wizard
Hit Dice: d6; Saves: Mind; Skills: Knowledge; Proficiencies: daggers, darts, slings, staves, light crossbows; Abilities: Sculpt spells (grant spell immunity to 1+Spell Level targets); Potent Cantrip: add your MINDMod to cantrip damage; at 6th level, creatures cannot shrug off your cantrip effects.


Notes:
*I folded the fighting styles in with Cleric, Rogue to create some minor differentiation. I did not allow TWF for Rogues because all classes can Dual Wield, given the right weapons, but I wanted Fighters to retain the damage mod.

*I did not account for Skill improvement, since stats and Prof's account for it already.

*Skills: I wasn't sure what to do about the Fighter's second skill.

*SPELLS: I'd use the M20 method of spending HP's. Would cull the list down to 5 spells per level, and , per M20, allow casting of any of them, provided you have the HP's to do it. No need to maintain lists or slots. If I were going even lighter, I'd eliminate the Cleric, create a spellcaster class, then allow the caster to choose 5 spells each time they got a new level to make up their "permanent prepared" list.

This probably belongs in the Design forum really.
I'm not really the target audience but...I guess I have the question whether its to simplify for newbies, or, just trying to streamline so there's less tracking and whatnot? Mainly, an attempt to reduce any remaining metagaming and build shenanigans?

If the former you might want 3 stats (I know that's cranebump's idea though not you Will?) but otherwise 6 may be fine? I think experienced players can manage 6 stats without trouble in play, any extra overhead is mainly in chargen.

If you really wanted, another way to go would be to just dump all the scores: assume if a character is proficient in something they also have a decent stat mod, so increase the proficiency bonus - a Fighter has proficiency in 'Strength' and maybe bump up the default proficiency bonus to +5 or +6. So they would use the Strength bonus for saves and also opening doors or whatever, and increases are built in automatically. Damage bonuses then get a bittricky, maybe you could add half Str or Dex proficiency to damage rolls. You could give humans a bonus stat proficiency instead of more stat points.
Maybe the skills tree off the stat proficiencies so a character has to have Strength proficiency to take Athletics, and otherwise they default to 1/2 bonus.

So

So: say proficiency bonus starts is +6.
Fighter: Strength or Dex, Con proficiencies
Cleric: Strength, Wisdom.
Thief: Dexterity, Intelligence
Wizard: Intelligence, Wisdom.


By race:
Dwarves get free Con proficiency (or one of choice if they're a fighter)
Elves and halflings get free Dex proficiency ( " ")
Humans get any one proficiency of choice.

Weapon use can be just a Str or Dex proficiency check, depending on weapon. So the free Dex proficiency gives elves bow use automatically. (Potentially you could make hammers and axes use Con proficiency if you wanted to make them free for dwarves, though its a bit 4th-editiony).

Just an idea.

Skills and classes: I think what people have already said here. Would you keep backgrounds, or is that more complexity than you're wanting in that area? I guess you could keep the list and just let a character make a proficiency check for things relating to their background (i.e. just keep them for simple noncombat stuff. So you lose any sort of build preferences since they're not providing adventuring skills).

I'm leaning toward keeping things mostly as is, but taking a knife to any ability that just doesn't grab me. Maybe reduce races to 2-3 abilities, classes to 3-4, with at least one scaling ability (like fighter extra attacks or rogue sneak attacks).

I have lots of crazy ideas, but they aren't really 5e, so.

I think 5e has a cool basic design, but the 'stuff' each character has is a little excessive for some tastes.

I think this is what you are looking for Will

Well, I basically want old style level of 'resolution,' but with 5e mechanical stuff connecting it.


Although you ARE right that I should probably get my hands on some old editions to get ideas on scope.

(I apologize for mostly being full of vague ideas at this point, but my kids don't let me sleep much)

The "old school resolution" comment makes me think of B/X. Wondering about compiling 5E conceits into an emulation, basically fold Ranger stuff into Elf; parcel out the types of fighters among humans, Dwarf, Halfling. I always liked Race as Class because it was, to me, the acme of simplicity. Perhaps that'll be my own project here. I still like skills, though, and skill dice, so maybe I'll go with that as my base.

Unless the Eldritch Knight is the Elf.

(Also, what does "old school level of resolution" mean?)

Basically, less stuff.

3e, 4e, and even 5e seem to have loong lists of options and powers and abilities and bla bla bla, rather than a handful of numbers, now go do shit.

In all seriousness. It really does sound like your looking for Basic D&D. I would really suggest you check one out. Be it Holmes, Molvay, Mentzer, Rules Cyclopedia, or even Labyrinth Lord. The last two probably being your best bet. as they are all inclusive only one book needed. That and LL is free. But YMMV. I like Mentzer too, but I'm bias as that was my first D&D:)

I'd also consider BFRPG, which uses ascending AC, is free, and has tons of optional add ons to consider.