{"id":86,"date":"2007-12-16T05:22:10","date_gmt":"2007-12-16T03:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/isabout.wordpress.com\/2007\/12\/16\/fantasy-adventure-1-abilities\/"},"modified":"2020-01-02T20:25:33","modified_gmt":"2020-01-02T20:25:33","slug":"fantasy-adventure-1-abilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arkenstonepublishing.net\/isabout\/2007\/12\/16\/fantasy-adventure-1-abilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy Adventure #1: Abilities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Re-creating Dungeons & Dragons<\/a> is a common pastime of rpg enthusiasts. I started doing it myself with the 3rd edition in 2001 or so, when I decided to run a traditional fantasy campaign with the rules set. At the time I ended up rewriting the whole game starting with the combat and magic rules and ending with experience, character classes and races. The fundamental core of a traditional adventure game was there still, however.<\/p>\n

Looking back now, I think I’m at least double as smart as I was then. I haven’t put a pen to the paper over this topic for years, but I have thought about it now and then. Tonight I feel motivated to jot down some fundamentals on a new game that strives to do challenge-based adventure roleplaying in the D&D vein but without the things that annoy me in D&D, like the combat mechanics and cumbersome rules details. Sleeker, faster and more focused.<\/p>\n

It should be noted that D&D is huge and adventure games are traditionally two thirds about local group paradigm anyway; I’m not supremely invested in creating a tight, canonical and closed game here. Rather, I’m just outlining the tools I’d like to use for implementing an adventure roleplaying game right now. Some of these particulars have stayed with me for years, others are recent developments. Some I’ve designed originally for rogue-like computer games, some for the D&D campaign I mentioned, some just for the heck of it. Likewise, I’m not that interested in getting this “finished” or anything; I’m just writing things down so I can move on with my musings.<\/p>\n

The Purpose of the Rules<\/h3>\n

I want a D&D-like game that is less on the wacky and idiosyncratic side fiction-wise and has more streamlined mechanics. Also, the game needs to have a stone-solid focus on in-fiction challenge rooted in character and situation. Respect for the history and tradition of D&D is important, but pretty mechanics are even more so. The game may use the traditional die-set (this has been a huge point of contention for me, but finally I acceded simply because the 3d6 Ability roll is such a monumental part of the tradition), character sheets and all that other stuff a full-fledged roleplaying game utilizes.<\/p>\n

What I find most annoying in D&D in its current incarnation:<\/p>\n