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Pen & Paper Roleplaying Central => Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion => Topic started by: Dominus Nox on October 03, 2006, 04:21:59 AM

Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: Dominus Nox on October 03, 2006, 04:21:59 AM
Ok, simple question: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?

With me, I'd add a couple stats to gurps, and make the damage use more than just d6s. I mean, with variable dice you can nicely detail the difference between a .38 and a 9mm by using a d6 and a d8 for damages, instead of "d6+1" which eliminates the chance of a 1 point 'nick' wound from larger calibur guns.

It also allows you to boost the upper damage limit on some guns without making the lower damage limit higher, as in 2d8 instead of 2d6+4.

I might add in more rules for "power point pools" to power various effects, and make them standard rules in the main rules book and not added in later.

I'd keep 99% or so of it unchanged though.
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: Settembrini on October 03, 2006, 04:34:56 AM
Change?
Mmm.
I want a catalog of problems and the matching rules for it. Like a monster manual.
For Traveller.
Pre-genned problems could be: criminal investigation, societial upheaval, encounter with bueurocrats, diagrams which designate lines of power, diagrams for Corporations, civil wars, scientific conferences etc.
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: Balbinus on October 03, 2006, 06:03:04 AM
Quote from: SettembriniChange?
Mmm.
I want a catalog of problems and the matching rules for it. Like a monster manual.
For Traveller.
Pre-genned problems could be: criminal investigation, societial upheaval, encounter with bueurocrats, diagrams which designate lines of power, diagrams for Corporations, civil wars, scientific conferences etc.

Isn't that what the 101 books from BITS are essentially?
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: Imperator on October 03, 2006, 06:43:56 AM
Quote from: Dominus NoxOk, simple question: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Nothing. That's why it's my favourite. ;)
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: jrients on October 03, 2006, 10:01:04 AM
I'd streamline the badguy creation system so that making opponents would be a faster, less cumbersome exercise.
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: Bagpuss on October 03, 2006, 10:20:33 AM
Quote from: Dominus NoxOk, simple question: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?

Make it part of the National Curriculum.
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: fonkaygarry on October 03, 2006, 11:38:32 AM
Quote from: jrientsI'd streamline the badguy creation system so that making opponents would be a faster, less cumbersome exercise.

jrients has precluded my participation in this thread with that.  Toodles.
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: Maddman on October 03, 2006, 12:08:51 PM
If I could change it?  But I can - I'm a tinkerer and don't hestitate to change things to my liking.

Unisystem is my favorite, and the only major change I made in Classic was how armor works.  It negated damage, but did so a little too effectively.  Getting Class IV armor would by the book allow the wearer to walk through a hail of gunfire or mob of zombies.  I changed that so body armor is only effective against ranged attacks, and then you still take half the damage as endurance.  So getting shot with kevlar on will knock you down and take the wind out of you, but a couple of minutes catching your breath and you're fine.  And it doesn't help against the zombie hordes paticularly.
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: RPGPundit on October 03, 2006, 02:49:28 PM
I would like to see a version made of D20 that needs only D6s to play. But one that actually works.

RPGPundit
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: ColonelHardisson on October 03, 2006, 03:25:35 PM
I'd like to see D&D done as a more toolbox-style game, which has a very simple base and which can have increasingly complex layers added onto it.

The very basic system would be designed for absolute beginners, or for those who want a really rules-light game. Ideally, this would be the current game stripped down to the absolute minimum, maybe even using just the three basic classes from Unearthed Arcana. Reduce feats and skills down to a dozen or so each, perhaps even hard-wire them into whatever classes are being used - either the three I mentioned or the classic four - fighter, thief, magic-user, cleric.

On top of this, successive layers would add more detail to the game, eventually getting to the current game.

This way, there could be a D&D for every taste and would make the game a better entry point to RPGs for new players.
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: Sosthenes on October 03, 2006, 03:37:36 PM
I'd like to have a favorite system...
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: jrients on October 03, 2006, 03:49:05 PM
Quote from: SosthenesI'd like to have a favorite system...

Okay, now you've piqued my curiosity.  Are you saying you don't like any of the games you've played?
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: Settembrini on October 03, 2006, 04:11:05 PM
QuoteIsn't that what the 101 books from BITS are essentially?

They are the proto-form. But lack the sophistication and rules integration of Monster Manuals. They are not ready to play, but only inspiration.
Spycraft 2.0 has chase rules. I want this sophistication, but for large social environment.
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: Sosthenes on October 03, 2006, 04:13:39 PM
Well, I certainly did. Strangely enough, most of the games I played with, had systems I don't like that much anymore. And I just can't decide which of all the games I've got "in the queue" I'm going to play after I've weaned my players away from their current D&D 3E predicament. If only one would really stick out. ;)
Title: What would you do to your favorite system if you could change it?
Post by: blakkie on October 03, 2006, 08:23:01 PM
While I'm not going to throw upon Shadowrun 4 the title of my favorite system, I do enjoy it.  I've recently reached a year of using the game so I'm now out of my selfimposed period of not pulling the rules apart.

I've rewrote purchasing and contacts, heavily inspired by Burning Wheel's Circles and Resources. But made them much tigher together than in BW, using only one Attribute. Called it Clout, which apparently the kids on the actual street are using as slang for money these days? Or so I've heard thrid-hand, I'm to frightened by what I see on massmedia newsfeeds to actually walk outside my house. :mischief:

Also brought Lifestyles in tight with this, doing away with the monthly Lifestyle upkeep treadmill. All Lifestyles are now permanent, although if you blow cover on one it takes some time to reestablish it. I also tied in Fake SIN IDs to this too so that they actually relate to something now.

Basically filled in a big hole gaping hole there has always been in the SR rules where you had all these related things but no mechanical ties between them, and then made it abstract so you don't need to bother count your pennies.


I'll be doing an initial live playtest of with one of my groups as we decided to start a new SR campaign, I'm GM, and they've bought into at least trying these rules out.  I figure I need at least 4 full sessions to see if it is going where I intended it to go.


EDIT: Oh, and I so dumped those fucked up canon ammunition numbers.  Unfortunately I'm still stuck, so to speak, on what to do with Stick'n'Shock. I want it in, but I'm torn on how to handle the damage from them.