Seems I've stirred the proverbial pot here.
Still trying to get to a half dozen or so posts so I'll throw in a couple of more cents into the pot.
What is 1 point of a given statistic like Strength or Damage?
No matter what system is being used there's going to be some kind of bellcurve that represents just how much better than Joe Average a given hero is I'd think.
Without this you've got the Spinal Tap problem of "but these go up to eleven".
Of course application of a stat like ST varies a lot between different systems, and different systems have different stats, but the basic concepts are universal like ST moves mass a. k. a. encumbrance.
I use a figure of 1 pt ST = 5. 5 pounds moved 1 ft per second for a basic measure.
Joe Average has a ST of 10 (1/10th of 1 hp) and a realistic maximum for human strength is around 30 points.
Also, 5. 5 ft. pounds is sufficient force to pierce skin or cause tissue or bone trauma.
It helps in translation.
Another thing I've always thought was kind of silly for RPG's was a tendency to use wargame mechanics for individual characters.
In TFT a stat is used called MA for movement and is assigned by race with humans starting with a MA 8, Elves a MA 10, and etc.
This fits with its gladiator arena conceptual roots, and the mechanics of the time, but two humans don't get to have a footrace by this metric, it's just who wins the initiative.
It's good to have a generalized measure of human MA for units of them moving around in formations but on the individual level of an RPG this cuts out the "RUN Forrest!" option for bugging out of a nasty area and similar responses.
As a matter of fact, with sports simulating many aspects of combat, it seems very odd that it's easier to hit an Orc (indigenous people) with a sword and kill it than it is to hit a baseball with a bat in the same system say, or block another Figure out of the way creating a hole in the defensive line.
Being genera specific to a gladiator arena sim the combat in TFT axiomatically assumed that players were trying to engage their Figures in combat ah la the classic dungeon crawl and weren't interested in creative ways of avoiding combat.
When all the exp pts and treasure are linked to combat then avoiding combat is a loosing strategy for the most part.
IMHO a good universal system allows players to progress in other areas besides combat.
I try to tie my stuff to existing reference and educational material as quickly and simply as possible and let that serve as my universal system as much as possible.
If for example I can explain the general properties of materials in game terms then I can use reference data to assign specific game stats to specific materials rather than trying to make lists of everything.
It doesn't solve everything like where mythril fits on the periodic chart, but it does point to the region of the chart it'd likely be at least.
The quicker and simpler I can tie a system to a 1001 textbook the better, and then I can leave it alone until some smartassed player starts mucking around in the subject adding wrinkles.
It's tough being a Game Organizational Director sometimes. . . but for all its burdens apotheosis has its perks too.
Poll
