A fine example of a mechanic that seems lifted whole sale from GURPS 3rd ed.
Joel Send a noteboard - 25/01/2012 05:40:58 PM
I never played 1st, mind you, so I can't comment on that.
A lot of the rules in second edition were apparent fiats. I imagine that through countless hours of hands-on experience, they found what worked best and I just had to trust that they were right. And they largely worked, I have great memories of games I played in second edition. I think the complete insanity behind the system actually helped shape the way we played our games - if the DM didn't know how to adjudicate on something, he just pulled out a judgment relying solely on his best guess based on past experience. And that felt fairly natural, since I'm pretty sure every other rule in the book was made the same way.
With later editions, there was a far clearer, unifying mechanic to the game. Just understanding the d20 vs. difficulty check roll will allow you to resolve most situations in the d20 system, the DM just has to decide what variable best measure the conflict.
A lot of the rules in second edition were apparent fiats. I imagine that through countless hours of hands-on experience, they found what worked best and I just had to trust that they were right. And they largely worked, I have great memories of games I played in second edition. I think the complete insanity behind the system actually helped shape the way we played our games - if the DM didn't know how to adjudicate on something, he just pulled out a judgment relying solely on his best guess based on past experience. And that felt fairly natural, since I'm pretty sure every other rule in the book was made the same way.
With later editions, there was a far clearer, unifying mechanic to the game. Just understanding the d20 vs. difficulty check roll will allow you to resolve most situations in the d20 system, the DM just has to decide what variable best measure the conflict.
That basically like how GURPS applied the old Contest of Skills (which it in turn lifted wholesale from AD&D 2nd ed.) to situations that were essentially the same except for the fact no (N)PC was directly involved. From the above discussions about fiats and the inability to even attempt things without a specific skill I would say all the more recent editions of AD&D would benefit from stealing the GURPS concept of skill defaults. I REALLY love defaults, especially those that default to other skills.
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Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
This message last edited by Joel on 25/01/2012 at 05:41:19 PM
D&D 5th Edition... Hard to believe how many years this has been going.
- 09/01/2012 10:47:30 PM
1550 Views
*NM*
seriously? 4.0 hasn't even been out that long!
- 10/01/2012 12:28:09 AM
923 Views
4th Edition has been a commercial failure. 5th Edition wasn't originally due for several years yet.
- 10/01/2012 01:37:47 AM
1081 Views
No, the future of D&D has resided with Pathfinder for a while. 
*NM*
- 10/01/2012 05:24:10 PM
500 Views
*NM*
- 10/01/2012 05:24:10 PM
500 Views
Re: No, the future of D&D has resided with Pathfinder for a while.
- 10/01/2012 08:09:11 PM
978 Views
- 10/01/2012 08:09:11 PM
978 Views
Re: D&D 5th Edition... Hard to believe how many years this has been going.
- 10/01/2012 08:23:59 AM
948 Views
I found this blog entry enlightening:
- 10/01/2012 01:41:12 PM
1042 Views
Dunno about the "Old-School Revival," but Pathfinder is definitely pretty popular
- 10/01/2012 02:21:37 PM
952 Views
Re: Dunno about the "Old-School Revival," but Pathfinder is definitely pretty popular
- 10/01/2012 04:34:39 PM
970 Views
Re: Dunno about the "Old-School Revival," but Pathfinder is definitely pretty popular
- 11/01/2012 02:56:23 AM
927 Views
I can't wait to see the Edition Wars™ flare up again.
- 10/01/2012 02:55:27 PM
1122 Views
True story:
- 10/01/2012 04:39:47 PM
1034 Views
I felt like that was the whole goal of 4E...and I think that goal was accomplished.
- 10/01/2012 05:19:14 PM
943 Views
I think we'll probably see the pendulum swing back the other way a bit
- 11/01/2012 03:46:00 PM
886 Views
The last time I played an AD&D CRPG, it had THAC0.
- 10/01/2012 07:47:47 PM
958 Views
Baldur's Gate, woo!
- 11/01/2012 03:49:49 PM
887 Views
That was a Warrior trait, not a human one.
- 11/01/2012 07:18:09 PM
1046 Views
That sounds insanely unintuitive. *NM*
- 11/01/2012 07:37:37 PM
518 Views
That's 2nd Edition.
- 11/01/2012 10:59:34 PM
861 Views
A fine example of a mechanic that seems lifted whole sale from GURPS 3rd ed.
- 25/01/2012 05:40:58 PM
1329 Views
Incidentally, I am currently about halfway through replaying the BG series; great fun.
- 25/01/2012 06:41:53 PM
1004 Views
Re: Incidentally, I am currently about halfway through replaying the BG series; great fun.
- 25/01/2012 07:52:29 PM
903 Views
Digging around online just now it looks that may have been a 1st ed. rule.
- 25/01/2012 08:40:13 PM
1080 Views
AD&D represent! *throws up half-orc gang signs* *NM*
- 13/01/2012 01:50:06 AM
596 Views
Throwing up a half-eaten rat is not throwing up a gang sign... *NM*
- 13/01/2012 05:26:47 AM
518 Views
What about a half-eaten halfling?
- 13/01/2012 02:41:06 PM
993 Views
Been re-reading The Sleeping Dragon, have you? 
- 25/01/2012 05:29:15 PM
966 Views
- 25/01/2012 05:29:15 PM
966 Views
*hollas*
- 25/01/2012 05:30:45 PM
882 Views
GURPS is still in 4E.
- 25/01/2012 05:58:34 PM
927 Views
Thank God for small blessings; it is almost like those guys do not know HOW to milk a consumer base.
- 25/01/2012 07:02:44 PM
854 Views
They really don't, do they?
- 25/01/2012 09:12:07 PM
844 Views
They focused on rigorous rules that let people run games in the setting of their choice.
- 26/01/2012 08:59:59 AM
942 Views
I love Pathfinder and 4th edition. They're great, for different reasons. I'm excited to see 5th ed. *NM*
- 11/01/2012 04:58:28 PM
480 Views