Editorial: Things I enjoy from other systems

So I have been playing a lot of D&D 4e lately. And I mean A LOT.


1 monthly game,
1 weekly game,
2 bi-weekly games,
and a D&D Game day this weekend...

That's enough to burn anyone out, especially since I run all but one of those games! And when I'm feeling a bit burnt out on D&D it becomes a bit tough for me to even look at the cover of one of my rulebooks, let alone actually put any thought into the story lines or characters that are in those games.


But that leaves me with nothing to occupy my brain, because usually D&D is like the mortar that holds the bricks of my thoughts together, it takes up all my extra computing power as it were, and so if suddenly I can't bring myself to think on it, all the other thoughts in my head become kinda disjointed and my world takes on a sorta odd bent.

Click on the title of this post to read how I cope.


So what do I do? I cant possibly bring myself to think about D&D, but I love role playing in general so I dust off one of my other system source books. Exalted, Hero 6th Ed., Shadowrun, and most recently I picked up The Song of Ice and Fire Role playing game.

So I figured I would compile a list of some mechanics and ideas from other role playing systems that I really enjoy, and perhaps at a later time I'll spend some of that extra brain power to figure out how to implement these things into 4e. So here we go:

1) Exalted - Stunting and Co-operative map-building:  One of the best things about Exalted, and indeed about many of Whitewolf's games, is that the mechanics support their world - not the other way around. I wont go into all that that means to me, but most importantly Exalted has the stunting system. If, during an intense scene, like combat or what D&D would call a skill-challenge, you describe the action your character is taking more than "I attack" or "I use X power" the system gives you an extra die to roll. If you describe it in a more intense fashion and use the environment (which you can make up as long as it doesn't interfere with something the GM has already stated) then you get two extra dice. And if your description literally leaves the entire table in awe, you gain 3 extra dice. This is great. This is wonderful! Because here you have a mechanic (that is in the core rulebook BTW) that encourages the players to role play their actions. This really helps alleviate "Game Mode" as I have talked about before, but because the system assumes that the players will be able to make up terrain and world features the players don't have to feel so constrained to the battlefield as presented. Plus, the GM doesn't really have to spend all his time on the minutia of map making and such, he can just say "Your fighting in a market" or "The bridge is swinging over the ravine, and its about 30 ft long" instead of in D&D where those must both be marked out. Granted this comes along with its own issues, like "Where was that guy again?" or "Hang on, there are chickens here?"

2) Shadowrun/Exalted - Powerfully weak PC's:  Okay so in D&D the HP system is a great abstraction of combat fortitude and the ability to dodge an attack. And I know the system is based around heroic individuals and such but I cant help but feel that sometimes the idea of HP can degrade some otherwise tense situations. I found this quote at another blog http://www.gamegrene.com. It pertains to 3E but the concept still rings true in 4E:

"Most players cannot help but see a situation in the following way: The assassin standing across from me is holding a crossbow pointed directly at my chest. Even if he criticals and rolls maximum damage I can't die, and I can attack him before he gets away. Therefore the fighter charges even though such a thing would be totally unrealistic (and yes, I know it is a fantasy game, but it should still be at least believable).
Every player knows his character's strengths, and will compare them to their foe in combat. This means they will make decisions their characters probably wouldn't. You know how many hit points your character has, and you suffer no penalties for taking damage until death. That's just not realistic. Hell, if I get a black eye or a cracked rib you can bet that will affect my concentration. Yet in D&D a Firbolg with a two handed sword can deliver a critical hit, and if you are a high level fighter you won't bat an eye. "

But in both Shadowrun and Exalted (and Hero to an extent) that isn't the case. Shadow runners are extremely potent individuals in and out of combat, but a well placed bullet or knife and they are either dead or rendered useless from the pain/disorientation because when it all comes down to it, their body is still "just human." This feel enables all kinds of situations (like the Mexican standoffs) that just plain cannot happen in D&D.

3) Hero/Exalted/Shadowrun - If you build it.. : In 4E your character build is very important. I love the role system, and I love that the game is built around everyone working in a team, I could write a whole article on this topic - and I might! But there is something to be said about a system that allows you full control over what your character can and cannot do. Sure in D&D there are enough classes and races to put together anything you could possibly think up, and the fluff is always changeable. But it you build a character that is sub-par or isn't optimized, you're not only hurting yourself but the other 3-4 players at the table. But in many other systems that are not based on combat (don't lie, D&D is based on combat and that's why we love it.) your character's abilities could really be whatever you want, and that's okay as long as you enjoy playing it. I think also that the other player tend to back off a bit as far as your build goes because in the end, as long as they feel they have built a character that they enjoy and that wont die quickly then they don't care what you've got going on.

Anyway, that's that. I wish sometimes I could do more then just dust off these old systems, but I've got neither the time nor the players to try any of this out... Hopefully I get out of this funk and back into the game soon. Lucky for my players I've already got some stuff planned for out next few sessions!