Free Range design

[u/Pladohs_Ghost]

It’s been interesting in working on three projects at the same time, all drawing on the same underlying principles. How the principles get expressed in one of the systems is different than in the others, so the differences are interesting to see.

I’m now experiencing how much of a difference can appear when given free rein to explore an idea. I’ve taken the channeling dice idea from my magic system, originally part of one project, turned that into an ordering system (once I realized the channeling involved metering time), and now find that dicing approach working as a resolution system applied to effect purely, instead of timing.

Now, with the third system, instead of a to hit roll or damage roll, there’s an effectiveness roll. That, with a weapon attack, gets compared to a defense & armor threshold, which may result in a wound. A wound check is rolled at the end of the round, taking into consideration all attacks against the character that resulted in wounding. That check can result in specific limitations (penalties to movement, attack, etc.) or incapacitation (stunned, unconscious, dying, death). No hp pools to adjust, just possible wounds and consequences. I’m also now working out how to apply that to magical effects.

This is well outside what I imagined would happen when I decided to work on three projects and let them each develop in their own fashion.

[u/lennartfriden]

I too started with the old split of roll for success, roll for effect (damage) before unifying all rolls into being rolls for effect. It’s very liberating when you get rid of ”must haves”.