>> it''s combat system is rather complex

LOL! You roll to hit, then roll for damage. And that''s COMPLICATED? You must be retarded.

quote: Original post by Anonymous Poster
>> it''s combat system is rather complex

LOL! You roll to hit, then roll for damage. And that''s COMPLICATED? You must be retarded.

Actually, jerk (I may call you a jerk, right? You''re anonymous, and rude, so... yeah, I''ll do that), many d20 systems are indeed complex.

If you look at the context you took those words from, the poster was referring to d20 as applied to D&D. (pure d20 does not require classes, and the post mentioned class modifiers explicitly) Yes, you do just roll a die -- and compare it to a number, which is computed by taking into consideration your class, level, weapon, and the armour class of the opponent. Oh, and any situational or racial modifiers. Or combat-modifying skills. Yeah, that''s real simple.

Lets not forget that there are a huge amoutn of situational modifiers. If you look at the length of the combat system, it could use a LOT of simplification. I''m talking the SRD alone.

Don't forget that you get to roll many kinds of dice instead of only D10 or D6 etc, so it can take time to location the proper one(s) (unless you always have several of each type sorted or something weird like that, which takes time to do as well), which slows things down.

[edited by - extrarius on November 14, 2003 11:15:20 PM]

I just don't like anything that reeks too much of character classes.

For some good PPRPG game design help, the aforementioned site at RPG Net is a good one. Another really good one is at The Forge. Actually The Forge is loaded with just as much humanities/liberal arts brain power as Gamedev has in terms of comp. sci. I tend to prefer it to RPG Net, but there's some good stuff there too. And if you want to market your campaign setting, go to RPG Now where you can find all sorts of stuff you can download (some free, but most you have to pay for) in .pdf format and you can also work out a deal for them to carry your stuff.

As for designing for d20, well, I personally don't like the system, but from a certain standpoint it makes sense. There's a huge user-base already familiar with it, so that's a bonus. But in terms of being able to be flexible, I think it has its limits. Look at GURPs (made in 1984 and still going strong), the Hero System (made in 1982 and still going strong), The Riddle of Steel (a new game with one of the most realistic melee combat and initiative systems I've ever seen as well as a unique take on magicians), Ars Magica (the BEST game out there for magic),or the Silhouette system (used in the very imaginative worlds created by Dream Pod 9) for some ideas which are IMHO, have more advanced concepts than d20.

There's another open-gaming license game out there, though it's from a small indie developer. Check out EABA which is an interesting system...plus it only costs $12 to download. And if you want to create weapons for your game, look no further than Guns! Guns! Guns! also made by BTRC. It is hands down, the most realistic and logically consistent supplement I've seen to create weapons. BTRC also has a good vehicle design system, though it's a bit overkill for RPG's unless you want very consistent vehicles.

Since you like Modern settings, see if you can dig up old-school games like Aftermath!, Twillight 2000, R. Talsorian's Cyberpunk 2020, Freedom Fighters, or Millenium's End. You might also want to check out newer games like Feng Shui, or Hong Kong Action Theatre aka HKAT (both tipping a hat off to wire-fu/gun-fu).

[edited by - Dauntless on November 15, 2003 1:28:13 AM]

[edited by - Dauntless on November 15, 2003 1:34:33 AM]