Black Hammer
March 18th, 2016, 20:52
Fantasy Grounds is a tool designed to facilitate running existing tabletop role-playing game systems online, usually with additional outside support in the form of things like VOIP and game manuals, whether in print or electronic form. However, all of these systems are designed around the idea of tabletop gaming, with all that implies:
Simple math that anyone can do in their head
Basic randomization that revolves around the use of standard dice (flat d6, bell curve 3d6, d100, etc)
Character sheets that are not meant to hold more information than fits on both sides of an 8.5x11 sheet
Sequential turn-based combat, in which a player completes the vast bulk of their actions within the confines of their turn
This isn't even getting into the tropes of RPG mechanics to begin with, the sort of things some people have been trying to get away from for years with things like diceless systems, narrative games, no-GM systems, player-facing systems where the GM doesn't roll anything, and so forth.
What would an RPG system built from the ground up around the idea of being played online look like? How could it better take advantage of the strengths a computer offers, and mitigate the loss of things like having players face-to-face?
Simple math that anyone can do in their head
Basic randomization that revolves around the use of standard dice (flat d6, bell curve 3d6, d100, etc)
Character sheets that are not meant to hold more information than fits on both sides of an 8.5x11 sheet
Sequential turn-based combat, in which a player completes the vast bulk of their actions within the confines of their turn
This isn't even getting into the tropes of RPG mechanics to begin with, the sort of things some people have been trying to get away from for years with things like diceless systems, narrative games, no-GM systems, player-facing systems where the GM doesn't roll anything, and so forth.
What would an RPG system built from the ground up around the idea of being played online look like? How could it better take advantage of the strengths a computer offers, and mitigate the loss of things like having players face-to-face?