What Makes a Great Magic System?

Shostak · 10-29-2015, 09:31 PM

It would be nice to read what you folks have found are the elements which make a magic system a joy to use for both GMs and players. For me, the extreme variety offered by GURPS Thaumatology is compelling, and even GURPS Magic 4e by itself seems wonderful. They are adaptable to any setting I've been able to imagine, and any of the spells thought to be unbalanced can simply be made unavailable by a discriminating GM. But, I don't have a particularly wide range of experience with systems (AD&D, and the GURPS precursor of sorts, TFT, decades ago) to compare.

10-29-2015, 09:31 PM	#1
Shostak Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: New England	What Makes a Great Magic System? It would be nice to read what you folks have found are the elements which make a magic system a joy to use for both GMs and players. For me, the extreme variety offered by GURPS Thaumatology is compelling, and even GURPS Magic 4e by itself seems wonderful. They are adaptable to any setting I've been able to imagine, and any of the spells thought to be unbalanced can simply be made unavailable by a discriminating GM. But, I don't have a particularly wide range of experience with systems (AD&D, and the GURPS precursor of sorts, TFT, decades ago) to compare.