Alrighty guys, let's mediate for a little while and discuss what would make a RPG system perfect for you...

Alrighty guys, let's mediate for a little while and discuss what would make a RPG system perfect for you. What is something common in games that you'd like to change if you had the power to do so for an upcoming RPG, or perhaps things you would like to see in future systems across the hobby as a whole?

For example, I've always found it is a bit confusing for newer players to comprehend having an ability score (Let's say, 16 str), but going off the modifier for everything instead (that being a +3), rather than just saying your strength is +3, spells like Bull's Strength give you +2 strength instead +4 strength score which equates to a +2 boost in the modifier. Cut out the middleman as it were. On the other hand, it may feel as though it is a dumbing down for people to see just a +3 there, and maybe some people need that measurable 16 = +3 as proof that their character is strong rather than using their imagination. It just seems silly to me and needless number crunching.

I would also like to see the division of spell lists be removed and just have mage class that specializes in different flavors and spells, like one mage is a white mage and heals better than a black mage, but can still blast if needed, just not as well, while the inverse being a black mage can blast better than the white mage any day, but their healing magic is only OK at best. A legitimate complaint would probably be along the lines of "muh caster supremacy" and so forth by allowing all mages to cast any spell, just being better at some than others. Still fiddling around with this concept desu, but I think it might have some merit if the spell casting is "more do things that are otherwise not possible" rather than "do anything and everything, I even have a cantrip to walk my dog", something that is a huge issue in systems like 3.PF, which tend to suffer from spell bloating. But again, still playing around with the concept.

I hate class and level. To me, this wargaming shorthand has no place in an actual rpg., preferring to use point buy to get abilities that support your character concept instead of having to fight the system and min-max expectations to get the character you actually wanted.
Oh, and support in system for non-combat activities to the same degree as combat.

>Girl is playing righteous human paladin
>Blondie's playing a grizzled human fighter
>Black Kid is playing shifty evil looking Teifling Warlock

Found That Guy.

I do like the concept of having point buy for abilities and skills instead of classes. Invest fully in magic if you want to be a traditional wizard at the expense of combat prowess and survivability and whatnot.

I'd be concerned for having more support and rules for non-combat stuff, as then we get stuff like the verbal duels that Pathfinder now has. It might take away from the role-playing.

The problem is this: RAW. And specifically the amount of rules dedicated to one subject. If you have an entire chapter for combat, but a few paragraphs on rping in a different chapter, guess which part people subconsciously remember?

Also, giving rules for non-combat situations can actually draw in players who don't feel comfortable rping - we all know that one guy who never engages their PC in social situations unless combat is about to happen. Chances are, he doesn't feel that he can play his character instead of their stats.

quints don't lie

>have you tried not playing DnD, The Thread

This thread isn't about bitching about DnD, it's about improved the standard of the majority of tabletop RPGs as a whole. Tropes and traditions that are outdated or could be improved upon in any RPG, most of the examples are stuff that also fit into D&D because the majority of RPGs nowadays are just alt clones of it.

Give the community something substantial instead resorting to a fucking meme because you have less creativity or ingenuity than even the staff of Paizo.

I want a system with the mass appeal of D&D, the freedom of White Wolf shit, and the autism of WH40K rpg.

Pokemon Tabletop's pretty good, honestly, from my experience. If I were to, from my point of complete inexperience, design an TTRPG, I'd base it around that framework. The system's weakness is the fact that it uses all d6, I suppose, but that's also a feature. Right?

Never played WH40K before. In what way is it autistic?

Basically, the rpg strives to follow the conventions established by a convoluted setting 30 years in the making.
His wording is Veeky Forums standard bullshit.

>Alrighty guys, let's mediate for a little while and discuss what would make a RPG system perfect for you.
alright! could be fun!

>bla bla bla D&D bla D&D bla bla D&D
errrm....

>the freedom of White Wolf shit
what's so free about it?

>and the autism of WH40K rpg.
what's so autistic about it?

I hate the idea of progression through equipment. I'm completely attached to the idea of a character's skill being the thing that decides fights, not that their sword is a +5 or that their armor is power armor.
I also think that progression should be kept pretty tame, at least numbers wise. Being a max level fight-man should be akin to becoming a master swordsman, not becoming a superhero.

I don't recall mentioning D&D specifically? The only things I really talked about was cutting out the middle man for ability scores and modifiers, and an in-progress method of making casters simpler and reducing spell bloat to help reduce "muh caster supremacy". I think I only mentioned D&D once with the 3.PF thing and even then I was just noting it as a notorious example of said problem of spell bloat.

These things aren't just in D&D, they're just the most famous examples of these things and serve as a base for a lot of other RPGs that tweak them, but never seem to get everything correct. Where they may succeed on one issue, they may fail at another.

I think he means that they're free to do whatever they want. Hell, in Hunter: The Reckoning there's a dude who straight up says nigger. Do you think anyone could get away with that these days?

>I don't recall mentioning D&D specifically

>Suggests fixes for problems specific to D&D and clones thereof

"Look, I don't recall specifically mentioning Australia. I'm sure loads of other countries must have a Kangaroo problem, right?"

This is why I enjoy the Automatic Bonus Progression rules for when my group plays Pathfinder. Suddenly the group is no longer swimming in stat belts and +1 weapons, and now a flaming longsword (normally tossed in favor of a +3 longsword) now stands out in the imagination as they are no longer desensitized to magic items and are intrigued by something that does not show up every single encounter. Now suddenly flavor matters and ye olde magic item shops are no longer in every town to handle the piles of +1 armors and weapons adventurers pick up on a daily basis.

*shrug* They are the most commonplace type of RPG you see. Let's fix the issue by fixing the garbage in such systems and others and bring what is good together and see what fits. Talk about a RPG system that isn't a D&D clone if you are bothered by talking about fixing problems in such systems, I never put a limit on what RPGs could be discussed and cleaned up. Quite the opposite in fact.

Example of a system that needs to be cleaned up: Children of The Sun.
Seriously, three different dice rolls and math for resolution depending on what situation you're in.

What would you suggest as an alternative?

I would have to dig up my notes from 3 years and two moves ago, but I took the simplest mechanic and started conversion from there.
I'm also going to dig up the rulebook and see if I get the same thought process that I did back then. Unified mechanics are great.

I wrote up a long reply of changes I'd like to see to mechanics, but the more I thought about it, I realized what I'd most like to see in the hobby as a whole is better implementation of non-combat role-playing. Combat can be a big part of a game, but so many games out there devote far too much time to it and make things feel like analogue combat-simulator video games. Pen and papers should be more about stimulating the imagination and getting people to act as their character.

Consider gas

All the problems he listed are in many systems. You're just exposing how few rulesets you've actually used you colossal retard.

you best keep non-combat rules-light though.

>ability scores and bonuses
>spell lists
>All the problems he listed are in many systems.
start spouting names beyond D&D (and its direct derivatives) and Rolemaster, asshole

Hear that? It's the sound of goalposts moving.

This is very true. I'll shamelessly shill PbtA systems for having rules for roleplaying. It really helps for new players and "shy" players who would otherwise only minmax.

Also
>checked

This except I also don't like too-heavy implementations of point buy. GM says we have a year before the adventure picks back up? I'd like to enroll in alchemy classes at the community academy, or start a business and gain connections and knowledge, or go full fabio farmer man and get ripped muscles. I like natural progression with intelligent input.
Non-combat rules too often feel like they're just analogue combat. You don't deal damage on the stage, you rack up performance points for taking your actions. You don't use combat maneuvers, but social maneuvers to reposition your "opponent" in conversation. Skill checks to pilot the space ship, cook a great meal, or, got forbid "You use your intellismarts successfully. The puzzle is solved." actually seem to remove more rp than by replacing it with dice rolls and numbers than they manage to encourage with rewards and specialization validation. I want to see non-combat rules lean more toward play with agency than binary success systems and combat analogues.

>human paladin
>those ears
>human

nice try pleb

90's edginess wasn't freedom. I can go find a dozen RPGs written in the last few years that think being 'mature' means swearing and sex.

>ability scores and bonuses
Aces and Eights is the first clear example that springs to mind. A huge swathe of TTRPGs have some basis in d&d so whatever I say here you'll probably just shoot down in your autistic frenzy to hate d&d.

Dungeon World is pretty nice if you have a good group of semi-agreeable people you like in your group.

Stunt bonuses are great for this. They reward great role players and draw people in.

>ideal rpg system

For any genre, the system might be different, but would include:
>character builder like the offline one for 4e, but online.
>dice roller baked in, connected to character sheet.
>classless
>point-gen
>easy monster rules
>many prebuilt monsters and NPCs.
>several compatible fleshed out settings.

See, I always think something like this is perfect but you always run into problems of the sliding scale of player familiarity. Same way some people like crunchier games and some people like more free form games. Anyways my point is:
>Character Builder
Mitigates complexity to allow for increasing character complexity. You still end up with option salad which is hard for new players especially when...
>Classless
This is a big sticking point. Some people just really need a archetype to grab onto, especially when they are new. A lot of people want a nice package concept they can understand and don't want to be scared off by...
>Point-gen
This is a big one. Point gen gives the ultimate flexibility to build any kind of character which puts the concept building purely in the hands of the player
>Dice roller, easy monster rules, prebuilt stuff, settings, etc.
This stuff is always nice to support a system but not really related to what I'm talking about.

Don't get me wrong, I love me some complex games especially when the complexity is only upfront at character creation. But you limit your player pool a lot when you go super flexible even with a nice program to neatly organize things. It's a bad example but Chummer and Roll20 haven't exactly made Shadowrun any more accessible.

Nigga when's the last time you went to the eye doctor because you clearly need to go again. Those ears are nowhere near pointy enough to be an elf.

Although I might accept that she was a half-elf, but it would still be pretty iffy.

You can go classless point buy without it being overwhelming.

Include predefined archetype packages and advancement tracks.

But then if you decide you want to swap something out, or a more creative/experienced player wants to go off the rails and make something custom piece by piece, that's easy to do