In retrospect, I think the class system shows the origins of D&D in a tabletop war game. Originally, classes were ways to define the capabilities of specific units. In Gygaxian thinking, you have to attach set attributes to specific units, represented by sets of stats. I feel like what you're suggesting is in a sense to finally cast off the limitations imposed by RPGs' origins as war games and embrace them as forms of storytelling. Though even there, you do run into the fact that genres like fantasy are replete with tropes and archetypes, which traditional classes also reflect. So you're also pushing for a less trope-bound way to tell stories, where individuals are individuals and not bound to some overarching scheme like the Warrior, the Rogue, the Wizard, etc.
I was going to point out the Chainmail influence primarily on combat/movement, but yeah, they needed character classes early on to make the game work. I think it's possible to move beyond classes as a fundamental construct as I started to point out on your other comment. But I'd like to be able to honor it as well, and I'm not sure precisely how. I guess we'll see.
I'm hopeful that there will eventually be a few more commenters here as the we progress. I'd love to get a couple of hardcore dissenting opinions with some decent reasoning behind them.
As always, thank you mucho for sticking around and giving feedback. I love it.
Love the humor! I do like Cypher's approach to character definition (let's call it), where you basically choose an adjective, a noun, and a verb, each of which comes with a set of features (You're a Sad Clown who Levitates, or whatever). As I mentioned before, though, I don't think that system gives the character enough to do. But I think a more "a la carte" way to build characters from sets of features could get rid of class and maximize customization. It could basically be just a bunch of different feats at different levels of "beef," and the rules could stipulate how many you start with and then how many you add as the character develops. I've seen this in a D&D context in one of the third-party attempts to provide an alternative to race in the initially published version of 5e. Characters of mixed lineages can basically choose which features they want, with more powerful features being limited through a point system (e.g. You've got 5 points to spend on features. Here are the 3-points ones, here are the 2-point ones, and here are the 1-point ones).
In retrospect, I think the class system shows the origins of D&D in a tabletop war game. Originally, classes were ways to define the capabilities of specific units. In Gygaxian thinking, you have to attach set attributes to specific units, represented by sets of stats. I feel like what you're suggesting is in a sense to finally cast off the limitations imposed by RPGs' origins as war games and embrace them as forms of storytelling. Though even there, you do run into the fact that genres like fantasy are replete with tropes and archetypes, which traditional classes also reflect. So you're also pushing for a less trope-bound way to tell stories, where individuals are individuals and not bound to some overarching scheme like the Warrior, the Rogue, the Wizard, etc.
Absolutely.
I was going to point out the Chainmail influence primarily on combat/movement, but yeah, they needed character classes early on to make the game work. I think it's possible to move beyond classes as a fundamental construct as I started to point out on your other comment. But I'd like to be able to honor it as well, and I'm not sure precisely how. I guess we'll see.
I'm hopeful that there will eventually be a few more commenters here as the we progress. I'd love to get a couple of hardcore dissenting opinions with some decent reasoning behind them.
As always, thank you mucho for sticking around and giving feedback. I love it.
Love the humor! I do like Cypher's approach to character definition (let's call it), where you basically choose an adjective, a noun, and a verb, each of which comes with a set of features (You're a Sad Clown who Levitates, or whatever). As I mentioned before, though, I don't think that system gives the character enough to do. But I think a more "a la carte" way to build characters from sets of features could get rid of class and maximize customization. It could basically be just a bunch of different feats at different levels of "beef," and the rules could stipulate how many you start with and then how many you add as the character develops. I've seen this in a D&D context in one of the third-party attempts to provide an alternative to race in the initially published version of 5e. Characters of mixed lineages can basically choose which features they want, with more powerful features being limited through a point system (e.g. You've got 5 points to spend on features. Here are the 3-points ones, here are the 2-point ones, and here are the 1-point ones).
That sort of the direction we're going, points toward skills that lead to better features as they go up.
You know, if you 'love the humor', feel free to 'like' the post <he said greedily> :-)