Quote:
Originally Posted by Randyman
Thematically, I agree completely. Mechanically, RPM feels like an exception when other "empowered" types are modeled using powers. And the popularity of RPM's mechanics reminds me of an old piece of GMing advice - if you create something new and everybody wants to use it, it may be unbalanced in some unforeseen way. (Also true if nobody wants to use it.)
There are definitely other factors involved in RPMs popularity, of course; frustration with the default spell system and a corresponding desire for a better-functioning alternative being chief among them.
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Having played with it a bit, my impression is that RPM is 'broken' in that, once you invest enough points, you get more than the total worth of those points out of it. Once you have enough power to create a decent buff with good duration reliably, and pick up Luck so you don't botch yourself to death setting up buffs, you can fairly trivially apply all sorts of useful buffs and enchantments.
That said, the limitation of Greater effects and the general GM oversight involved means that, while you get more for your points than you really invested, the actual effects you tend to have are ones that don't break the story or setting badly. And the limitation on stacking spells (and vulnerability to targeted dispels) means it is to your benefit to share buffs among the party, so everyone gets to share in a bit of the awesome. Looking at it that way, I guess that makes it comparable to Gadgeteer, with Ritual Adept of course being the Quick Gadgeteer version; with some heavy skill investment backing it up, you can do insane things that are arguably a little above your weight class, but the things you can do are things that won't completely spoil the GM's fun, and you're basically giving your allies cool toys rather than showing them up.
Anyway, sorry for the tangent, your comment just led me to think on this a little more than I had.