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<blockquote data-quote="The Crimson Binome" data-source="post: 7768002" data-attributes="member: 6775031"><p>Fair enough. I might want to take <em>burning hands</em> before I have access to <em>fireball</em>, although I would still be hard-pressed to take <em>flaming strike</em> after I already have <em>fireball</em>. Most of my experience with flexible class (and class-free) systems are also level-less, so that wasn't something I'd taken into consideration. In a game like Shadowrun, for example, all of your spells are available during character creation.</p><p>When it comes to game design, one thing that a lot of free-form games fail to consider is that a choice between un-equal options is not a real choice. I'm not going to choose a spell that I'm unlikely to ever use (because I already have something better, for situations where it would apply) over a spell that I might use (because it applies in a situation that I don't have covered yet); and it's kind of a cop out for them to present it as a viable option.</p><p></p><p>As a more clear example, imagine that a 5E-style warlock was given the choice between Proficiency in a new skill, or +1 to hit with daggers. Even though neither option improves the warlock's core concept, the skill proficiency is something that might actually come up, while there's no reason for the warlock to ever use a dagger (and +1 to hit would not change that). It's not even really a choice.</p><p>Players can come up with an RP reason for any choice they make. One very old lesson in RPG Design: don't gate mechanical benefits behind role-playing considerations, unless you're sure that the RP is a sufficient drawback to balance it.</p><p></p><p>If one player conceives of their character as an impulsive fire mage, while the other conceives of their character as a calm-and-collected Batman-style king-of-all-trades, then the game shouldn't un-duly reward the latter concept over the former. Players shouldn't have the option to play a character that's <em>just better</em> than another character.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="The Crimson Binome, post: 7768002, member: 6775031"] Fair enough. I might want to take [I]burning hands[/I] before I have access to [I]fireball[/I], although I would still be hard-pressed to take [I]flaming strike[/I] after I already have [I]fireball[/I]. Most of my experience with flexible class (and class-free) systems are also level-less, so that wasn't something I'd taken into consideration. In a game like Shadowrun, for example, all of your spells are available during character creation. When it comes to game design, one thing that a lot of free-form games fail to consider is that a choice between un-equal options is not a real choice. I'm not going to choose a spell that I'm unlikely to ever use (because I already have something better, for situations where it would apply) over a spell that I might use (because it applies in a situation that I don't have covered yet); and it's kind of a cop out for them to present it as a viable option. As a more clear example, imagine that a 5E-style warlock was given the choice between Proficiency in a new skill, or +1 to hit with daggers. Even though neither option improves the warlock's core concept, the skill proficiency is something that might actually come up, while there's no reason for the warlock to ever use a dagger (and +1 to hit would not change that). It's not even really a choice. Players can come up with an RP reason for any choice they make. One very old lesson in RPG Design: don't gate mechanical benefits behind role-playing considerations, unless you're sure that the RP is a sufficient drawback to balance it. If one player conceives of their character as an impulsive fire mage, while the other conceives of their character as a calm-and-collected Batman-style king-of-all-trades, then the game shouldn't un-duly reward the latter concept over the former. Players shouldn't have the option to play a character that's [I]just better[/I] than another character. [/QUOTE]
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