Good Design Thread

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>>53128213
>New World of Darkness: Grappling Rules

The only grappling rules I've seen that aren't an abstract fucking mess. You want to do [thing] during grappling? Roll STR + Brawl - Enemy STR. Special training lets you do some special maneuvers during the grapplefest, but everything that a normal human being could do during a grapple is allowed. Simple, logical, efficient.

>>53128213
>Burning Wheel: Emotional Attributes
You're playing a non-human, they have powerful drives which humans don't. Great for making playing an elf or dwarf actually feel like a character who plays differently than a human would, not just a human with slightly different stats.

>>53128973
this. Also in Burning Wheel:
>Advance what you use
IMO is a better way to character advancement than levels and xp, though more bookkeep intensive. It really gives a feeling that your choices and the story mold the character.

So much in Legends of the Wulin, despite the many problems in execution that system suffers.

I still adore the fundamental unit of the whole system though, Chi Conditions.

Each Chi Condition is very simple, a narrative clause tied to a mechanical bonus or penalty.

For beneficial conditions, acting in line with the clause nets you the benefit.

For penalising conditions, failing to adhere to the clause nets you the penalty.

I love the effect it has on a system, where from that fundamental level your fluff and your mechanics are intertwined.

LotW uses Chi Conditions for loads of things. Buffing yourself or allies, representing injuries in combat, or even as a tool for influencing and manipulating others through the beautiful but somewhat unwieldy Secret Arts system.

The negative condition is particularly beautiful for this, because it creates a choice- Do you obey something that you likely wouldn't want to, or do you eat the mechanical penalty?

Unlike most wound penalties or mind control in RPG's, it isn't just a 'Haha, you suck'. You can figure out a way around it, but you never get away with it free.

It's also interesting from a player perspective, and makes NPC social skill use on players actually fun. Whether you play along, or whether you try and stubbornly muscle through, it puts all the choice in your hands and lets you vary your approach.

I could go on for hours, so I'll just leave it at that for now.

>bump to save /tg/

I like Advantage/Disadvantage in 5e. Yeah it's not some hipster game, and that's why I like it even more. A big franchise like D&D replaced a lot of bullshit by just saying "Would this guy have a significantly better chance to succeed/fail right here? Okay, roll again to make the odds better."

>>53135025
I like how simple it is to apply. Roll 1 Keep higher/lower exists in other editions, but not as "the" system, just as another complication to ridiculous modifiers.
Bounded Accuracy in general has merits.

>>53135025
This. 3.PF can be a shitfest is you play RAW and try to add/subtract circumstantial bonuses/penalties.

>>53135025
>"Would this guy have a significantly better chance to succeed/fail right here? Okay, roll again to make the odds better."

Could easily have been done with dice-based bonuses which Merals also added to the game but refused to fully utilize. Advantage is also schizophrenic: it tries to dual-function as "DM's best friend" bonus while also being used by multiple situational rules and even class features.

In short, it's shit.

>>53131497
I have no idea why more of the indie rules-light school of games don't use LotW's approach to bonuses and penalties. It seems like the exact sort of thing they'd be in love with, but Wulin's the only place I've seen it.

>>53135846

LotW is a unique game in many ways, from rolling first and declaring actions second to the whole idea of being a crunchy, mechanically satisfying narrative focused game. I just wish the editing of the core book wasn't such a fucking trainwreck. Still, hopefully a game inspired by it will improve on its ideas and not have a godawful presentation to hamper new players.

>>53135025
I also like how elegantly it scales. The closer you are to a 50/50, the bigger the bonus represents. The more certain you are of the outcome, the less it sways.

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This. It rewards system mastery, one of the most important aspects of good RPG games.

>>53137276

0/10

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>>53137276
>>53137276
Actually, the only good aspect of a good rpg is a dm or system that makes me not have to feel like shit for playing by their rules, but rather allows me to have fun with the other players no matter what my background.