From: gt0040a@prism.gatech.EDU (Tom Sorensen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: META: Game Mechanics vs. Background
Date: 23 Dec 92 03:48:54 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In <18788@mindlink.bc.ca> Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca (Nick Janow) writes:

>sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan) writes:

>> What do you look for when you buy RPG material?  Good game mechanics or
>> good world background?

>The two are often closely interrelated.  A framework of elegant--but
>basic--rules can be used with many backgrounds, but they won't allow the same
>level of detail as a system optimized for a certain gaming style and
>background.  I don't believe that you can have one elegant system that works
>well for both "realistic" gaming and "heroic superhero" gaming.  The former
>style requires detailed combat rules, and combat can take several minutes.
>For the latter, anything beyond a simple, fast combat system would bog down
>the game.

I disagree- look at the Hero system. Its generic. That's all there is to it.
Although it originally developed as Champions, a super-hero game, it is
easily adapted to normal heroic stuff- like spies, fantasy, sci-fi, etc. It
has NO background- its up to the GM to create the background and supply
the limitations on characters. If a GM decides to create a sci-fi genre
then he/she must place technology limits and make sure the players follow
those limits. For a fantasy world the GM must describe what exists, relative
power levels for fighters vs. magic-users, the Gods (if any), etc.

The major problem w/ the system is combat. Takes a LONG time. Real long. This
is most pronounced in super hero campaigns where the heros & villians have
the tendandcy to absorb lots of damage.

Oh, and it does have a few limitations which are hard to get around. Try
being able to attack twice in the same phase. Can't be done the way most
people want it done. There are others, but that's the most obvious.

I have a couple problems w/ detailed backgrounds. One is that if the rules
are too tied into the background, the GM doesn't have too much latitude as
to where he wants the campaign to go, or rather, where he wants it to start
from. Another is that if the GM decides to change a major bit of the genre
(such as the technology level of a sci-fi campaign) then the rules might
also turn out to be useless. What if I don't believe in faster than light
travel? That's going to change EVERYTHING- the tech. base, the characters,
and, most importantly, the entire society. What if I do believe in FTL, but
there is no super-FTL message transmission? That means the fastest way to
get information around is by ship. Another cultural change.

>When I started helping with Legacy, I didn't think that a good SF rpg was
>possible; it was simply too difficult to project technology, society, etc,
>very far into the future without running into to many self-contradictions,

Good point. The ADVANTAGE of a detailed background, such as your game, is
that someone has done all the hard work for you. You might have to tinker
here and there, but the largest problems are already solved.
         Tom Sorensen

-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Sorensen              gt0040a@prism.gatech.edu
"I believe OS/2 is destined to be the most important operating system,
and possibly program, of all time." - Bill Gates, November, 1987