Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:19 am
I just like to use Frank as a filter on threads (seriously, it's often more efficient to go through a thread for Frank's posts, and only then read posts he's responded to).
Also, it's a bit repetitive and boring to see Yet-An-Other-Shitty-Game-Writer spectacularly fail in their attempts to denigrate Frank by claiming they have a scrap of logic, while Frank is somehow illogical for only examining math; and pointing out that nostalgia is a weak basis for game design.
Finally, it wasn't until Kieth & Frank posted their [Tome] content on the WoTC forums that I had anything resembling a clue as to how to write new content for my own 3.5e D&D games. They have a perspective that few other game writers even imagine; yet despite being unlike other game writers F & K's written content works with a consistency that's not seen anywhere else in the RPG industry, while 'official' content is maybe 10% viable and 90% worthless.
This method that Frank & Kieth endorsed is nearly a panacea for the ills in most game design to the point where people who simply copy Frank & Kieth's ideas can create viable work with little/no professional game writing experience (e.g. Koumei's Dungeon Siege, Kaelik's [Tome] Errata, Red Rob's [Tome] Magic Item System; then the dozens of posters who have made 100's of forms of [Tome] content in the shape of magic items, new feats, classes, or prestige classes).
I think that's why I'm impressed by Frank's work. It's totally against the grain of what the RPG industry as a whole "believes is true"; yet anyone who even badly copies their methods can shit out content that is 90% gold/10% turd. A stunning reversal on the RPG industries standard of 90%turd/10%gold.
The last notable case that I recall this was i Book of Gears; where Kieth & Frank noted that people want two very reasonable things:
-Powerful Artifacts are More Powerful than Regular Magic Items
-Magic Items should scale in their power based on their wielder's degree of power
Yet they concluded that taken together, the results are contradictory to each other.
Of course, they eventually solved this conundrum by making all magic items scale; and powerful ones having a "pre-set" level that they can grow from.
Also, it's a bit repetitive and boring to see Yet-An-Other-Shitty-Game-Writer spectacularly fail in their attempts to denigrate Frank by claiming they have a scrap of logic, while Frank is somehow illogical for only examining math; and pointing out that nostalgia is a weak basis for game design.
Finally, it wasn't until Kieth & Frank posted their [Tome] content on the WoTC forums that I had anything resembling a clue as to how to write new content for my own 3.5e D&D games. They have a perspective that few other game writers even imagine; yet despite being unlike other game writers F & K's written content works with a consistency that's not seen anywhere else in the RPG industry, while 'official' content is maybe 10% viable and 90% worthless.
This method that Frank & Kieth endorsed is nearly a panacea for the ills in most game design to the point where people who simply copy Frank & Kieth's ideas can create viable work with little/no professional game writing experience (e.g. Koumei's Dungeon Siege, Kaelik's [Tome] Errata, Red Rob's [Tome] Magic Item System; then the dozens of posters who have made 100's of forms of [Tome] content in the shape of magic items, new feats, classes, or prestige classes).
I think that's why I'm impressed by Frank's work. It's totally against the grain of what the RPG industry as a whole "believes is true"; yet anyone who even badly copies their methods can shit out content that is 90% gold/10% turd. A stunning reversal on the RPG industries standard of 90%turd/10%gold.
That's funny. I was convinced that "having your cake & eating it too" was a fairly common situation in game design. It seems to come up a lot.Mord wrote:TheCreatorOfADOM wrote:And naturally the engine needs to flow well with far less experienced people - I 1000% agree.Unfortunately neither "doublethink" nor "having your cake & eating it too?" are on my card.TheCreatorOfADOM wrote:Naturally such a system doesn't work too well with inexperienced Game Masters.
The last notable case that I recall this was i Book of Gears; where Kieth & Frank noted that people want two very reasonable things:
-Powerful Artifacts are More Powerful than Regular Magic Items
-Magic Items should scale in their power based on their wielder's degree of power
Yet they concluded that taken together, the results are contradictory to each other.
Of course, they eventually solved this conundrum by making all magic items scale; and powerful ones having a "pre-set" level that they can grow from.