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« on: March 01, 2024, 05:35:29 AM »
I've been chatting with Tim on rpg.net, and I'll add my thoughts here as well for public consideration.
Firstly, I think Tim is really onto something here. Having a RM core mechanic but with a bell-curve is frankly brilliant. While I love the swingy-ness of RM, it can get to be a bit much sometimes.
The Action Table is fantastic. It's essentially the same idea as done in Talislanta 4e, and should be played up as a central feature. One Table to Rule Them All, etc.
I love the success levels. They're like the Stunt Points in the Age System, which are pretty fun IMO. I ran a FAGE one off and the players really enjoyed them. Mythras has something similar with its Special Effects.
The Drive Point mechanic with Special Skills is absolutely brilliant, especially the ones that activate for a whole scene. So cool.
Things I'd change:
Full disclosure: I'm a longtime HEMA instructor, practitioner of Japanese Swordsmanship and Judoka. I could (and do) nerd out on combat mechanics all day long.
Weapon reach is vital, even after the initial engagement. Getting into range with a dagger against a longsword, for example, is incredibly difficult, and staying there is hard too. I'd say that if you don't do a Daze or Stun, an opponent can easily reset distance and keep initiative. Or maybe say that you need one success level per difference in reach to maintain initiative or something.
Fumbles: it's much easier to fumble a one-handed weapon than a two-handed one. With a two-handed weapon, if your grip slips, you can use the other hand to recover quite easily. That's why our instinct is to hold on with both hands when someone tries to grab something from us: it works. I've fumbled one-handed weapons much more than two-handed during my career as a tournament fighter. Daggers are indeed hard to fumble, though. It's not that hard to hit the ground with your weapon if you're under stress though, that's for sure.
Fun fact, in tournament I once saw a longsword (during a grapple) bend against the mats like a longbow and promptly fly away from the opponents at incredible speed perfectly vertical, pommel up, point down for probably 15 feet, with the pommel denting a metal door on impact. I've never seen anything like it before or since. While a sharp sword would just get stuck in the ground, on a cobblestone surface that could possibly happen. Real swords can be surprisingly bendy.
I am not a fan of the RM armed combat vs. "martial arts" distinction. It's a holdover from (admittedly fun!) 80's kung fu movies. Karate is a martial art. So is longsword fencing, so is Kenjutsu. That being said, if you want that vibe, go nuts. I'm about to run an RMSS game where one player is going all-in Warrior Monk with stuff from the Martial Arts Companion, and it's going to be interesting!
Fun fact #2, European monks were apparently known for being expert grapplers. The oldest fencing manual (sword & buckler) shows monks, too. Kinda neat.
My groups have always loved the magical herbs in RM. So glad to see them in FX. I love the Essential Salts too. Cool idea. It's great that Alchemy is getting a nice treatment. I've been reading a lot of Chivalry & Sorcery 2e lately and the in-depth treatment of mages' "down time" is amazing.
The Vocation system is very neat. Incredibly flexible and looks like it would be quick in practice. I'm eager to try it out.
With 300 pages, it's reasonably hefty. Depending on the design goals, it could go either way in page count. Is it supposed to be "lean and mean" or an omnibus? Either is fine, just be clear about the final goal, IMO. Are you looking to streamline or expand?
This is something very special. There's so much to like about this game, and it will be worth it to take the time to do it right with polish, good production values and intensive playtesting.
And it's gotta be fun, of course. I think it will be. Anyone given it a good run through yet?