Every RPG class system is bad, but before I tell you what you should want, let me tell you about you. Or rather, let me say whom I want to speak with. I'm not writing for people who enjoy class systems, so much as for people who want to sit above it all, with an ineffable air of enlightenment, saying 'everything is …

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Game designers talk about balancing powers far more than airtime. In fact, I've not heard anything about balancing airtime in some years. Balancing power restricts stories. We'd have to class Buffy the Vampire Slayer as 'unbalanced', even if all characters receive equal airtime in an episode, with equal decision-making …

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A vision came to me of a perfectly tactical RPG system, and then I realized it was worthless, because tactical RPGs are tacky. This perfectly tactical system could be memorized in minutes, and let you play without any board or counters. Skilled players would do well, unskilled players would do badly. Players would …

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Linear dungeons, where players see room 1, then room 2, all in order, can feel constraining. Dungeon: any location in an RPG scenario with details of opportunity and danger. Jaquaysing: to make a dungeon non-linear, so players must select which paths their characters take. The 'how' falls directly out of the in-world …

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The RPG scene has suffered for too long under its assumption that every positive feature in a system (realism, choices, fancy-looking hats) must imply more work to understand the system, and more time to resolve every action. (easy but nonsensical) (realistic but Maths) …

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The classic World of Darkness system has some impressive features. System Summary Add the character's Attribute + Ability, And roll that number of D10's. Each die which meets the difficulty number (default: 6) means one 'success'. Bust in the Door! Strength 3 + Crafts 3 = 6 Roll 6D10 (difficulty 7): 7, 4, 4, 3, 1, 6. …

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Chekov's gun poses a real threat to some games. If a group playing Vampire: The Masquerade ('VtM') encounter a Ravnos, spinning illusions, and confusing mortals, then the next time they hear about unusual events, they will assume that the Ravnos did this. Clearly - the Ravnos is part of the plot! After all, VtM draws …

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In some sense, you don't care about your washing machine. You have no clue where that powder comes from, or where those particles go after the wash. But you care a great deal when your washing machine breaks down. In the same sense, everyone playing RPGs cares about what the chosen system does, because that's where the …

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When looking at RPG Attributes, one fact returns to me constantly: Olympic Athletes cannot compete in every sport. Top wrestlers are stocky, and cannot compete in basketball. Top basketball players move quickly, and cannot compete in weightlifting. Weight lifters cannot compete in climbing events. A certain amount of …

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RPGs with a shared narrative mechanic - where players and the GM both come up with interesting people, results, and situations - come with a cost. They pull focus away from the puzzle elements of the RPG, and that's my favourite element, so I can't see myself enjoying shared narration mechanics. Let's start with an …

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