Editing Opend20: Introduction

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The advantage of OpenD20 is two-fold: First, as we design and evolve this system online, we can add any of the 'good ideas' we want - so long as we can fit them in without things become convoluted.
 
The advantage of OpenD20 is two-fold: First, as we design and evolve this system online, we can add any of the 'good ideas' we want - so long as we can fit them in without things become convoluted.
  
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The other possibility is coming up with brand new innovations.  Personally, I believe in the philosophy 'sub sole nihil novum est' - 'there is nothing new under the sun'.  I 'invented' the 'stunt' system from Exalted long before it ever went to print.  That doesn't mean that I'm particularly gifted, or even that the WW writers are, for that matter.  We both/all came up with it ''because it was a good idea''!
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The other possibility is coming up with brand new innovations.  Personally, I believe in the philosophy 'sub sole nihil novi est' - 'there is nothing new under the sun'.  I 'invented' the 'stunt' system from Exalted long before it ever went to print.  That doesn't mean that I'm particularly gifted, or even that the WW writers are, for that matter.  We both/all came up with it ''because it was a good idea''!
  
 
The important thing isn't whether an idea is 'orignal'.  It is whether it is innovative.  Any 'good ideas' are welcome in OpenD20 so long as they fit into the overall thematic structure, so long as they embody 'simple elegance'.  There is no point trying to improve upon something that someone else has already done perfectly well, and there is no point trying to pretend that they have any rights to an idea just because 'they got there first' - it is only copyright infringement if you really are COPYING their ideas, stealing chunks of their text and freeloading off their efforts.
 
The important thing isn't whether an idea is 'orignal'.  It is whether it is innovative.  Any 'good ideas' are welcome in OpenD20 so long as they fit into the overall thematic structure, so long as they embody 'simple elegance'.  There is no point trying to improve upon something that someone else has already done perfectly well, and there is no point trying to pretend that they have any rights to an idea just because 'they got there first' - it is only copyright infringement if you really are COPYING their ideas, stealing chunks of their text and freeloading off their efforts.
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* Action Points - in all their incarnations.  This is an excellent mechanic because if you look at all the 'best' and most popular card or dice games over time, you find that people like games with an ELEMENT of risk, and the chance to succeed if you're clever.  In some roleplaying games, there is simply nothing you can do if you roll ten ones in a row.  You botch it, plain and simple.  Action Points give 'unlucky' players a bit of a saftely net, they help to smooth out gameplay.  Action Points are a perfect example of elegant simplicity.
 
* Action Points - in all their incarnations.  This is an excellent mechanic because if you look at all the 'best' and most popular card or dice games over time, you find that people like games with an ELEMENT of risk, and the chance to succeed if you're clever.  In some roleplaying games, there is simply nothing you can do if you roll ten ones in a row.  You botch it, plain and simple.  Action Points give 'unlucky' players a bit of a saftely net, they help to smooth out gameplay.  Action Points are a perfect example of elegant simplicity.
  
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* Incorporated Damage - I've not actually played a system that uses this rule, per se, though I'm sure on exists (see 'sub sole nihil novum est', above). Bascially, the amount of damage done is equal to how much you surpass the target's defense class.  This incorporates armour class and damage reduction, it allows warrior-characters to cause exponential damage as their level increases, and it means rolling less dice during combat.  Three thumbs up!
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* Incorporated Damage - I've not actually played a system that uses this rule, per se, though I'm sure on exists (see 'sub sole nihil novi est', above). Bascially, the amount of damage done is equal to how much you surpass the target's defense class.  This incorporates armour class and damage reduction, it allows warrior-characters to cause exponential damage as their level increases, and it means rolling less dice during combat.  Three thumbs up!
  
 
*  Strike Ranks - may or may not be a part of the combat system.  Preliminary play testing suggests that using Strike Ranks speeds up combat by a noticable margin - but it is unknown whether the concept is overly complex for the wider gaming community (in the sense that it is seen as a waste of time to get the hang of it, or places too much 'combat duty' in the hands of individual players).  Jury is still out.
 
*  Strike Ranks - may or may not be a part of the combat system.  Preliminary play testing suggests that using Strike Ranks speeds up combat by a noticable margin - but it is unknown whether the concept is overly complex for the wider gaming community (in the sense that it is seen as a waste of time to get the hang of it, or places too much 'combat duty' in the hands of individual players).  Jury is still out.

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