Earthdawn's system was built on a notion similar to this, where each "level" of capability represented the mid-point of the bell curve for the dice thrown when using that capability.
I haven't every played Earthdawn, so I'm not sure how well this kind of value scale works in play, but I've played all the other Greg Gordon designed games, so I'd say that simple, elegant, and effective would be a likely result.
Earthdawn's system was built on a notion similar to this, where each "level" of capability represented the mid-point of the bell curve for the dice thrown when using that capability.
The odd thing, and something that might in fact break the game (though I can't tell for certain without more detail) is that some numbers represent a bell curve (10 = 2D10 being one such example) while others are a flat distribution (5 = 1D10 is an example here). This means that your dice will behave in quite startlingly different patterns depending on your skill level.
If you don't mind mr reviewer, could you list the full range of dice values from level 1 to maximum? That way I can work out how the probabilities shift.
There's a "quick start" guide available at the Tremorworks website, which includes a table giving HDL 1-60 (rolling higher than HDL 10 is rare; normal human stats cap at 10). It also includes a breakdown of character creation, and an example of skill uses and combat. It's the top link here:
And yes, the better your stats, the higher your average, and the more assured you are of succeeding. That is an intentional aspect of the system. However, anyone has the capability to "bump up" certain stats using Energy, and thereby increasing the HDL you roll.
In response to Spike's review...
Combat is intentionally deadly. The system was designed around realism and role-playing, so the objective is to avoid combat whenever possible. It's not a hack-n-slash system! Second, I wouldn't say the cards are "optional"... they really are an integral part of the game, and help to keep players alive, and help them succeed. Also, the Narrator only receives a small subset of experience as compared to the amount the players earn, to keep things interesting... so it's not that everything balances out and negates itself.
In response to Spike's review...
Combat is intentionally deadly. The system was designed around realism and role-playing, so the objective is to avoid combat whenever possible. It's not a hack-n-slash system! Second, I wouldn't say the cards are "optional"... they really are an integral part of the game, and help to keep players alive, and help them succeed. Also, the Narrator only receives a small subset of experience as compared to the amount the players earn, to keep things interesting... so it's not that everything balances out and negates itself.
I was able to use the game as written without purchasing the cards. While I suspect they can and do add to the game play in some ways, they are in now way necessary. Having looked at the sample characters in Cyberpop I have seen the types of backgrounds 'added' by drawing cards. Maybe I'm missing something, maybe I'm not.
I have played RPG's with decks of special cards before (the whole Masterbook line before and after the 'Masterbook' thing...) and I found keeping up with a deck of cards in play was not worth it to me. Others may disagree, I just try to report it as I see it and hopefully unbiased enough to let others make their own decisions.
As for the earthdawn link, now I've got to dig out my old, cover-less copy of the game and take another look at the mechanics.
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Well, the in-game cards add a lot more than the Background cards do. I don't remember how they did it in Masterbook (I remember them being a cool addition, but not really necessary, as you said), but in HDL the cards can be turned in for Experience, which can help in a lot of situations (especially since the system is bult around spending experience for things other than character improvement), and are just useful in general. I'd suggest you at least give the cards a try, and see what you think, rather than just writing them off.
Here are some examples of cards:
Bonus: gain +2 to a single roll
I'm Glad I brought This Shotgun: get a weapon if you don't have one (or turn in for 2 EXP)
Failure: Opponent fails a roll (VERY useful, and has saved my players on more than one occasion), or turn in for 2 EXP
Wait For Me!: you go first
Retry: re-roll a check (instead of spending the experience to do it)
Sacrifice: get 5 experience if you risk yourself to save someone else
Extra Action: immediately take another action (useful in an action-based system, especially if you're outnumbered)
And these are just a few... there are many useful ones. Anyway, just my two cents.
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