If you look at it, it's not so different from all the "stat+3d6" system and whatnot, except that unless there is a very large stat difference, the outcome is decided by fuckall but a random number generator. You can influence the size of the outcome by spending mana to do more damage, but really mana costs are usualy so high, that *never* mattered, and even then it was usualy just the size of the outcome, like damage, not much of the outcome itself.Simply if you stats were too low, no matter the randomness involved, you are screwed, unless saved by GMs being merciful, or realising they fucked up and made the enemies dodge stats too high.
In this system, purely on the system, well if neither side choses to spend resources, the stronger stat will usualy receive the positive outcome, and the size of the outcome is determined by the difference in the involved stats. And hey if one of your stats is too low, you have the choice between using 4 different stats for attacking or defending, allowing you to switch tactics if one seems to prove useless. Unless all of your stats are too low, in which case you probably don't really have any reason to actually be sad about losing (I mean come ooooon), there are many different ways to go about it. And that is just without using resources. Using exhaustion to buff your stats requires a bit of thought, because *when* do you boost something, and what is it that you boost? The system is simply put, tactical, instead of random.
So I'd like to compare this system to a rock-paper-scissors, while the old system was more of a rock-rock, followed by a coinflip, unless someones rock was too large.
And that is just purely mechanical. This system is openly demanding from the GM, not just encouraging, to apply bonuses and penalties on as many things as he deems relevant, and players to openly try and look for them, rather than just, well, hope for a better diceroll next round. Because in the old system, you can just do the same thing over and over again (and we did, nonstop), until the dice fall in your favour. In this system, you can't. If one approach does not work, the only chance it will work is if the circumstances change, like perhaps an enemy being wounded or exhausted. So either you try to have way more staying-power than the enemy and simply outlast him until you can finaly deal with him, (and thats boring
), or you look for ways to beat him.
That is my justification as to why I think this is a fine system, and far from "just GM fiat". The GM exists to judge a players actions and come up with a result to them, not to act as a dicebot (as in the old system), or act purely as a storyteller, as it would be the case in a purely freeform GM fiat game.
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Topic: Rise of the magical girls 4 - OOC : The pre-game *NOW WITH INFO* (Read 76435 times)