Core Design Goals

I’ve touched on some of my design goals, but I haven’t set them out clearly anywhere. I’d like to do that before going any farther, so here goes. Roughly in order of priority:

1) Clarity: There should be minimal opportunities for the rules to be misunderstood. One key area that I’m targeting is overloaded words such as level and ability; wherever possible, rules terms should have unique names.

2) Simplicity: The game should be playable with minimal reference to the rules. Nothing breaks the tension like having to look up a rule or a modifier. My main target here is combat mechanics, though the skill mechanics could do with a good deal more uniformity as well.

3) Depth: The game should have a wide variety of meaningful options. This is one that requires a delicate touch. Too many options and you wind up with system bloat that impacts the goal of simplicity. Too few, and characters all start to feel the same. Spells, weapons, and armor are all areas that this goal is especially relevant for.

4) Elegance: This one has two meanings. On one side, it really overlaps with clarity and simplicity; the rules should be clean and easy to use. In addition, the system math should be clean and functional at all levels of play.

5) Verisimilitude: Realism is a problematic term when fantasy is involved, but at the very least internal consistency needs to be maintained. At low levels this can mean comparison to real-world physics and human ability, while at higher levels internal comparisons take over.

Now, back to design work!