From: urban@yoda.fsl.noaa.gov (Art Urban)
Subject: Room for a New OOP RPG?
Organization: Forecast Systems Lab, NOAA, Boulder CO, USA
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 17:41:22 GMT

There seems to be a new din of displeasure with GURPS going around again,
so I thought I would drop this idea on everybody, as a new productive line
of thinking. When you get fed up with one game system, you either start
playing a new one, or you roll-your-own. Well, this idea is not probably
new, and many folks will probably point out how their pet system already
does this (although I doubt it was intentional), but I've never seen
anybody go in this direction before. So without too much more babble, here
it is:

An Object Oriented Role Playing Game.

I see many benefits to an RPG designed around an OOD mentality: 

Rule Encapsulation - For example (there are many, and this may not
represent the lowest level of abstraction), hitting something. You would
have a basic set of guidlines for striking things. You would then SubRule
that set with rules for attacking things, which you would then SubRule with
rules for attacking *with* things, like a SubRule for edged weapons, a
SubRule for blunt weapons. You can then extend this philosphy to additional
SubRules, like Fencing is a specific SubRule of attacking with an edged
weapon, and attacking with a two-handed sword is yet another differenct
SubRule of edged weapons. You only need to learn the rules that go along
with edged weapons as a base, and anytime a "new" edged weapon is invented,
you already know at an abstract level the rules for anything which is
edged, you simply add the rules specific to this new instance.

System Modularity - Once the system is is viewed as a set of Class Rules,
it is simple to add additional rules to handle specific cases, and it is
clear what SuperClass rule should govern. This also insures that other
rules are not fouled up by adding a new rule to the tree, because (I know
this is somewhat idealistic, but it is basically true) of encapsulation.
For example, if I don't like the way firearms are handled, I simply insert
my own firearms rules into the hierarchy so that all firearm SubRules
inherit my changes; other missile weapon rules are unaffected.

System Universiality - Since the system describes itself at some broad
abstract level, it becomes truely universal. It does not matter if you have
a SuperPower in a fantasy setting, as opposed to a MagicalPower, since both
with have grown from some more general Power rule set. Ads and Disads
become immune to their setting, since the influence of a setting has been
resolved at a more abstract (let's call it Trait) level.

System Description - Many parts of an RPG become easier to describe. Magic
spells for example. Eventually you set out the rules for a MagicJet type
spell. It specifes that for every point of energy you put in, it extends
its range by one yard, up to 3 yards max. Now you create a SubSpell like
MagicFireJet. You need not describe its range rules unless you need to
change them because they are inherited from MagicJet. You do, however, need
to describe the damage that this fire jet does, and also for a MagicIceJet
spell if you want it. Now that the hierarchy is established, the rules
become easier to remeber, because most people can visualize and remember a
well designed hierarchy. 
damage

Well, those are the biggies that I see. A truely proper implementation of
an OORPG, would have a sufficiently large abstract set of rules from which
to build upon; meta-rules, I guess.

So, whadayathink?

-- 
Art Urban 					        urban@yoda.fsl.noaa.gov
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 "Look, he's being attacked by creamy nugget centers."		 	 -Joel
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Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc