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larsdangly · 01-05-2018, 09:37 AM

Indeed! I'm sure most of the ideas us would-be creators/authors post are fine as house rules but terrible suggestions for the published game.

In that spirit, here are some things a responsible editor would suggest, in the way of actually simplifying and streamlining the original:

1) Perhaps the most awkward element of the original game concerns modifiers to die rolls: Perhaps 2/3 to 3/4 of all such instances call for a reduction or bonus to the controlling attribute, and the remainder call for an increase or decrease in the number of dice rolled. Thus, there are two different mechanics in play, and a very large number of modifiers to keep track of. A better design would condense these into a smaller number of more coarsely 'chunky' modifiers. My advice would be to use a modification to the number of dice rolled for any modifier larger than 2, keep the attribute modifiers only for circumstances that lead to small modifiers (1 or 2), with the only exception being the armor and shield DX penalties (because the power balance in the game depends significantly on the trade off between protection and DX penalty). A very large number of modifying factors (lack of a talent; attacking from the rear; attacking in HTH; casting spells in HTH; etc.) would be reduced to a much simpler rule: add or subtract a die from the pool you roll. I would also recommend doing the same thing with ranges of thrown and missile weapons, making coarse range 'bands' where you roll 3d, 4d, 5d, etc. All of this will simplify learning, the volume of rules on the page, and speed play.

2) Simply remove the condensed combat rules from the back of Advanced Melee. They are not really significantly simpler than the standard rules and I doubt ever get used.

3) At least 3-4 different versions of the experience rules are distributed across ITL, the GM screen and the various original small-format game booklets. Whatever you think is the right answer about XP costs for various things, condense it into a single rule.

4) Remove the random character creation from ITL; I don't think anyone uses it, and it is sort of unsatisfactory even in principle because it doesn't represent the full range of talents and spells and so forth.

5) The optional character 'personality' trait rules are a difficult case - the idea is under developed and I suspect rarely or never used. On the other hand, it is kind of a cool idea and might add a lot to the game with only modest changes/elaborations. So this is a case where you should fish or cut bait: remove it entirely (or relegate it to a zine' article), or reformulate it as an official part of the rules that actually has some practical consequences (influencing rolls, situational attribute bonuses, etc. - something beyond just color commentary on your character).

I'm sure one could think of other editorial pruning, but these are a good start!

01-05-2018, 09:37 AM	#86
larsdangly Join Date: Dec 2017	Re: The Fantasy Trip Indeed! I'm sure most of the ideas us would-be creators/authors post are fine as house rules but terrible suggestions for the published game. In that spirit, here are some things a responsible editor would suggest, in the way of actually simplifying and streamlining the original: 1) Perhaps the most awkward element of the original game concerns modifiers to die rolls: Perhaps 2/3 to 3/4 of all such instances call for a reduction or bonus to the controlling attribute, and the remainder call for an increase or decrease in the number of dice rolled. Thus, there are two different mechanics in play, and a very large number of modifiers to keep track of. A better design would condense these into a smaller number of more coarsely 'chunky' modifiers. My advice would be to use a modification to the number of dice rolled for any modifier larger than 2, keep the attribute modifiers only for circumstances that lead to small modifiers (1 or 2), with the only exception being the armor and shield DX penalties (because the power balance in the game depends significantly on the trade off between protection and DX penalty). A very large number of modifying factors (lack of a talent; attacking from the rear; attacking in HTH; casting spells in HTH; etc.) would be reduced to a much simpler rule: add or subtract a die from the pool you roll. I would also recommend doing the same thing with ranges of thrown and missile weapons, making coarse range 'bands' where you roll 3d, 4d, 5d, etc. All of this will simplify learning, the volume of rules on the page, and speed play. 2) Simply remove the condensed combat rules from the back of Advanced Melee. They are not really significantly simpler than the standard rules and I doubt ever get used. 3) At least 3-4 different versions of the experience rules are distributed across ITL, the GM screen and the various original small-format game booklets. Whatever you think is the right answer about XP costs for various things, condense it into a single rule. 4) Remove the random character creation from ITL; I don't think anyone uses it, and it is sort of unsatisfactory even in principle because it doesn't represent the full range of talents and spells and so forth. 5) The optional character 'personality' trait rules are a difficult case - the idea is under developed and I suspect rarely or never used. On the other hand, it is kind of a cool idea and might add a lot to the game with only modest changes/elaborations. So this is a case where you should fish or cut bait: remove it entirely (or relegate it to a zine' article), or reformulate it as an official part of the rules that actually has some practical consequences (influencing rolls, situational attribute bonuses, etc. - something beyond just color commentary on your character). I'm sure one could think of other editorial pruning, but these are a good start!