FRDT Author - The Meta Weta

So in this post I'm going to be tackling something that I'm probably wildly unqualified to do: design RPG mechanics from scratch. Woo!  Basically for the next few posts, we're going to be breaking down the logic of so called 'standard' fantasy RPG mechanics and classes and building them back up again. It bears mentioning that I have never played a tabletop Role-Playing Game in my life, and at this rate I probably never will. But it would be remiss to not mention them in a post on RPG mechanics, even though I usually approach and think about RPG elements in a video-gaming context as opposed to a table-top one.  For this first post, we're starting with with character statistics. Character classes are defined by their abilities, therefore what they are good or bad at and therefore: basic stats.  Standard D&D Stats This is literally the first image that pops up if you image search, D&D.  ... is it bad that I keep forgetting that there are dragons in it? So l...

I don't really believe in Hack & Slash Dungeon Crawlers. Which is weird, because I've played quite a few over the years and have even occasionally enjoyed it.  Grim but fun! For those not familiar with the genre, Hack & Slashers and Dungeon Crawlers are frequently overlapping genres of video game where the primary focus is usually on murdering hundreds upon hundreds of monsters and collecting the piles of loot that explode out of them upon death like grisly pinatas. It's an exaggeration of the usual style of Role-Playing Game, be it paper-based or in video game form, where goblins inexplicably vomit up plate armour and heroes are often only as great as the trousers they wear.  These pants, for instance, are probably smarter, stronger and more dexterous than their owner.  Time-consuming, repetitive, a lack of actual constructed content and an over-reliance on procedurally generated loot with all the heart and soul of a Wall Street banker should ...