I am creating a game system that I might publish someday.

Since crafting it, I have discovered more about other similar systems - most notable is the Cortex system (Margaret Weis Productions) that uses a similar Step Die mechanics (having Attributes and Skills rated with a die size. d2, d4, d6, d8, d10 etc...)

Other systems like Earthdawn have done similar things.

Mine is a little cleaner, because it never uses more than one die per Attribute or Skills - make all rolls to accomplish anything a simple roll of two appropriate dice.  Rolls would either be opposed or against a Difficulty Rating.

I use 4 basic Attributes (Brawn, Agility, Spirit, and Intellect), and a number of Skills that could be paired with any Attribute based on the situation. 

Say you wanted to use Craft to build an item.  Your Craft might be ranked as d8.  You could use your Spirit of d6 to give it an artistic design (d8+d6), you might use your Brawn (d6) or Agility (d10) to actually make the item depending if it required endurance and strength (d8 + d6) or finesse and fine control of your hands (d8 + d10). 

The main question I have is, do you think it worthwhile to pursue publishing a system that has such a similar mechanic to an existing system?

Thanks for your feedback.

Phil

I think you're focusing too much on one aspect.  Have you ever seen a person with ugly or distorted features, but is very attractive overall?  Adrian Brody comes to mind.  What matters about your creation is the overall quality.

Think of it another way: there are only so many ways you can manipulate the die in order to create a resolution mechanic, so there are bound to be similarities to one game amongst an ocean of other RPGs out there.  Likewise, in a world of seven billion people, there are bound to be others who look strikingly similar to you, but you will still be unique as an individual.

My own system uses a step-die mechanic (I didn't even know this type of mechanic existed before constructing it, which only reinforces my point in the second paragraph).  However, my design progresses in the opposite direction, in which a roll of 1-3 is the success range as opposed to a fluctuating target number.  This minute difference has allowed me to pull off a high level of complexity without sacrificing resolution speed.  The overall result is unique, therefore my endeavor was worthy, despite being similar to another system.

Don't try to be original.  Try to be unique.

Here is a system that utilizes the dice pool mechanic of resolution, just like so many other popular RPGs out there.  But what makes it so unique?  It has the most elegant and brutal damage effects I have ever seen in a system.  Scroll down to the "Trauma" section of the PDF and you'll see what I mean.

The question isn't do a bunch of random people (or even designers) on the internet think it is worthwhile to pursue. The question is: is it worthwhile to you? That's the only question that actually matters in situations like this. So however you answer that, that's your answer.

there are two reasons to work on such a system:

1) it is substantially better than the existing system in some way
2) you are making a game (not just a system) and the game is compelling

There's also Chronica Feudalis http://chronicafeudalis.com/.  I think its even OGL but I don't have a copy here to look at to confirm.

Thanks for the feedback.

For the most part I am creating a system for the group I play with - and they are my playtesters - so it is worthwhile to me to build it. 

I enjoy crafting the game and hope to publish it someday - so it is good to hear from folks that they do not feel a similar mechanic is enough to slow it down.  It started out with a dice system closer to how Cyberpunk worked - Attribute + Skill + Die -- but I found that did not deliver enough of a variable.  Lower statted characters did not stand a chance against a higher character with higher stats.  I did not like the guaranteed hits and misses this produced.  Stepped Dice solved that problem but there are still problems to address - mostly in the magic system, but some in the Encumbrance and Movement system as well.  I hope to share it a bit more to get some feedback in certain areas once I have crafted it more.

I will check out Godlike and Chronica Feudalis to see how they do things.

My goal is to have a more cinematic system where conflicts and efforts of all nature are quick and easy to calculate.  I wanted a fluid magic system closer to Mage, but my players are new to RPG's for the most part and would like some more solid spells to choose from.  I creating a second magic system closer to Ars Magica which combined Realms and Disciplines - the areas of effect and the forms spells took, like summoning, shaping, etc...  but that spell system was difficult for them as well, and powers got out of hand quickly.

Once I have done a bit more work on the magic system I will share some ideas with y'all.

Thanks again.

Phil

Hey Phil,

I'm sort of late to the discussion, but some things about your posts reminded me of many of my own design experiences.  I used to agonize over resolution systems, struggling to find some unique way to use the dice that was also aesthetically interesting.  I was concerned with being original, and with copyright issues.  I can't tell you how much time I wasted doing that...  after a while I realized it wasn't worth it.  It's pretty hard to be completely original with all the games out there, and anyway, nobody can patent or copyright a specific dice mechanic, so there's no need to worry about anyone suing you because some of your mechanics are similar. 

Something else I've realized--mainly by reading the Forge and as many indie games as I can--is that "imitation is the highest form of flattery" as they say, and there's no harm in borrowing a mechanic from another game as long as you use it and state it in a new way, and give some credit to your sources of inspiration (say, by listing them in an appendix to the game text, etc.).

So anyway, to make a long story short; don't worry so much about the specific mechanics or the dice rolling scheme; just try to create something you and your group find fun.

----

On a related note: I've done some playing around with Attribute + Skill systems myself (it does seem like a very sensible way to combine talent with experience), both using dice pools (like White Wolf's games) and step dice (like Cortex or your own system).  It can work pretty well, but if you want fast play, you'll want to keep your list of attributes fairly small--which it looks like you're already doing with only 4 attributes. 

Otherwise you get a lot of possible combinations, and as a GM I had a lot of lag time deciding which skill went with which attribute when I was running NPC's in combat.  I should note, though, that my system at the time was highly combat / tactics focused, and I was using a list of about 10 or 12 attributes with a list of about 25 - 30 skills.  The game went through some major redesigning after that.

Anyway, good luck with it all!

-Andre