Design schematics

[urizenhh]

Hi Folks!

Probably this can be found somwhere (at least I hope so), but my Search-Fu is weak. I just wanted to know if someone has tried to compile the different mechanics that are used in RPG-design?
(And if someone could point me in the right direction?)
I know that there are a gazillion of different rules-systems, but i search for the core elements like linear or bell, target number or sucesses, etc...
Any help is welcome!
Urizen

[timfire]

You should check out [John Kim's site], he has a listing of the standard 'types' of dice mechanic.

[M. J. Young]

More basic than that, the article System Does Matter delineates the concepts of drama, fortune, and karma (what is often called DFK around here, or at least once was), the three basic concepts on which all mechanics work.

--M. J. Young

[urizenhh]

drama, fortune, karma is a good start, john kims site is a bit too vague for what i had in mind.  I really thought of a listing of roll for target number, pool, roll vs roll, roll vs. roll + use a matrix to compare results etc.
But i realized what i was really looking for was someting a bit different. (This was a part, but not main)

Ill go for three more or less important parts of RPGs (coming from a gamist/simulationist agle since narrativists goals are difficult to grasp)

[urizenhh]

Skills: (this builds upon some stuff I read here)
I would like to make a universal Skill tree. Not to make a universal system, but as a tool to know where you are with your skills.
I thought about a system close to this:
"Top Level" Skills: Physical, Creative, Interactive, Memory
Now i want to construct a tree model that allows you to see where the focus of what system lies (regarding skills) or what possibilities you have if you want to go up or down a level in granularity. I just need some feedback to know if I have not forgotten something.

After some thinking I thought every skill could be grouped under these 4 Top Level Groups.

My next level devided Physical into Body and Mind, Creative into Crafts and Arts, Interactive into Social and Perception, and Memory had no direct devision.

On the lower level (for now) I started to put Fitness, Combat and Stealth under Physical:Body and so on...

I'd love some genaral thoughts on such a model...

[urizenhh]

Rewards
I also gathered from some articles that there are four kinds of rewards (in and out of game)

Social Advancement (in and out of game)
Story         "
Ability       "
Fiscal         "


With the problem that the last two are quite easily manageable by system while the first two are dificult to regulate.

Are there other kinds of advancement a Character/Player can want?

Related Issue:
What are the motivating factors of a character, a figure? Can one sum them up as easily as TROS, Conscience, Belief, Passion?

Questions upon questions...

[urizenhh]

Goals of Game

I'm having a bit of a problem with the last one. I started thinking that a "typical" game has classes that cover parts of the actions that can be taken in a game. This G&S approach brought me to the thought about these areas that are to be covered by classes. Basically it is one class for every goal of the game. In fantasy this would be Fighter for Combat, thief for Crime and Mage for Magic. So I wonder what the abstract goals are and how these could be differenciated (if they should) if one wants to know what the game aims at.

Areas I thought of:
Combat, Magic, Social, Crime, Exploration, Philosophy

Do these categories make any sense?

I know this goes in a lot of directions, but as I said above, coments or pointers are welcome...
Urizen

[M. J. Young]

I've a wealth of little points and only a few minutes in which to convey them (and wolf down the rest of my supper), so I hope this is useful.

I think that skills can probably be divided a thousand different ways, no one way being absolutely best. We divided ours (Multiverser) into technological, psionic, magical, and body, and managed to cover everything with those four groups, as they're based primarily on "where does it get its power and how does it use it". I have some trouble putting combat into one of your skill groups, though, as I've found that an innovative player can use any skill for a combat advantage. For this reason, I also avoid trying to divide things into combat versus non-combat skills.

On your rewards, I'm not sure that you can so limit the number of types. Off the top of my head, it occurs to me that "Opens new areas for exploration" is a solidly simulationist reward currency which doesn't easily fit into any understanding I have of the four you mention.

I've written probably half a dozen Game Ideas Unlimited articles on character motivations over the years, so summing up all the possible motivations in a forum post is not really practical.

I find it difficult, again, to isolate "combat" from "magic", but that might be because I'm not understanding your use of the former. Also, although the classes in OAD&D are wonderful in my opinion, they don't really work as universal templates for adventurer types. Before you can even get to that you have to ask whether it should be possible for a character to choose whether he is a specialist or a generalist.

I hope this helps.

--M. J. Young