[Lords of Sky] Skill systems_can simple be realistic?

[Andre Canivet]

Yes--Stefoid I think you've summed it up pretty well; although I think the dividing line between traditional and more streamlined designs is important, too.  For example, there are games like Agon, which have fairly simple & general mechanics, but are explicitly gamist-facilitating.  I'm sure there's some narrativist designs that get quite complex, too.  But these may be exceptions, I'm not sure.  In any case, with Lords of Sky, simple mechanics are more an "ease of book-keeping" / "speed of play" issue for me than a question of creative agenda.

Falc--Skills really aren't changing that much, but I'll explain the dice mechanics nonetheless.  It's a step-die system using two dice.  The range starts at 2D4, and  increases a single die by one type for each step in the scale; so, 2D4, D6+D4, 2D6, D8+D6, 2D8, etc.; right up to D20+D12 and 2D20 (although anything above 2D12 is considered superhuman).  You roll dice according to your skill level, versus either an opposing character's roll, or a roll by the GM using the same scale--although GM rolls can exceed 2D12, if the task is quite difficult.

Whoever gets the highest single die wins the contest; with a margin of success equal to winner's highest minus the loser's highest.  If one of your dice is highest but the other is a 1, you've got a partial / complicated success; and if both your dice roll 1, you fumble.  A critical success is scored if both of the winner's dice are higher than the loser's highest die--and the winner can add the margin of his second die (over loser's highest) to the margin of the first. 

So, your skill level determines the dice you roll; specializations bump your skill level up a little higher on the scale; and then any additional bonuses just stack onto the values of your rolled dice, with a maximum of +5 (but a realistic range of +1 to +3).  Penalties (also ranging from -1 to -5) are subtracted from both your dice.

I figure this should work with Fortune at the End without a problem; and for Fortune in the Middle you just skip the margin of success stuff, and only count the type of success you scored: fumble, fail, partial success, full success, and critical success.  This could then be used to determine narration rights when the scene/action is fully described.

None of this will need to change very much, even with the change in the skill system--except that I may not have to handle bonuses & penalties externally.  When I get rid of a layer in the skill / ability system, I can probably just make bonuses & penalties change your skill step instead of modifying the values of your dice.

But, it's possible that I've overlooked something.  Thoughts?

-A.