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True Innovation in the last few Decades?

Started by RPGPundit, July 29, 2009, 07:05:44 PM

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RPGPundit

July 29, 2009, 07:05:44 PM
is there anything can all agree is better about game design today compared to game design in the late 70s?

RPGPundit
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Seanchai

#1
July 29, 2009, 07:21:19 PM
All agree? Really? Really? You're going to ask that?

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Benoist

#2
July 29, 2009, 07:27:23 PM
Quote from: RPGPundit;316740is there anything can all agree is better about game design today compared to game design in the late 70s?

RPGPundit
One word: diversity.

MoonHunter

#3
July 29, 2009, 07:39:33 PM
Unifed Mechanics for all systems, so you don't have to search through several hundred pages or several books to find the system or the chart to make an action work.   Bolted On systems were always a bother.
MoonHunter
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jeff37923

#4
July 29, 2009, 08:05:28 PM
Quote from: RPGPundit;316740is there anything can all agree is better about game design today compared to game design in the late 70s?

RPGPundit

Skill checks with difficulty classes that are unified and defined. This was Classic Traveller's main bugaboo (by not being unified with defined difficulty classes), and it actually used skills where many other games didn't. It makes for a much smoother gaming experience.
"Meh."

The Worid

#5
July 29, 2009, 08:45:35 PM
Another vote for unified mechanics. Is there anyone who really thinks that this isn't an improvement?
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Kyle Aaron

#6
July 29, 2009, 08:47:37 PM
Quote from: The Worid;316771Another vote for unified mechanics. Is there anyone who really thinks that this isn't an improvement?
Yes, there are a few. They like the wacky stuff for flavour. After all, it lets you roll all those different dice :)
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TheShadow

#7
July 29, 2009, 08:49:04 PM
Quote from: The Worid;316771Another vote for unified mechanics. Is there anyone who really thinks that this isn't an improvement?

Unified mechanics can be an excellent thing. Even better, for me, is the deliberate use of subsystems to give flavour.
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Joethelawyer

#8
July 29, 2009, 08:59:17 PM
Quote from: The_Shadow;316774Unified mechanics can be an excellent thing. Even better, for me, is the deliberate use of subsystems to give flavour.

yeah i'm not so big on unified mechanics...
~Joe
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ggroy

#9
July 29, 2009, 09:31:57 PM
(Maybe not a true innovation).

Convincing people to buy tons of splatbooks for a particular game, even if they get very little use out of them.  I suppose it caters to the "buy new stuff" mentality, especially for the hardcore "completionist" types.

Older boardgames and wargames were typically sold as one box with a complete game.  Though I would guess that back in the heyday of wargames, the hardcore "completionist" type people just bought every new wargame published by Avalon Hill, SPI, and other smaller publishers.

The Worid

#10
July 29, 2009, 11:39:39 PM
Quote from: ggroy;316786(Maybe not a true innovation).

Convincing people to buy tons of splatbooks for a particular game, even if they get very little use out of them.  I suppose it caters to the "buy new stuff" mentality, especially for the hardcore "completionist" types.

Older boardgames and wargames were typically sold as one box with a complete game.  Though I would guess that back in the heyday of wargames, the hardcore "completionist" type people just bought every new wargame published by Avalon Hill, SPI, and other smaller publishers.

I suppose that could be considered a marketing innovation.
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Philotomy Jurament

#11
July 29, 2009, 11:42:12 PM
Quote from: The Worid;316771Another vote for unified mechanics. Is there anyone who really thinks that this isn't an improvement?
I don't think universal mechanics are necessarily an improvement.
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Benoist

#12
July 29, 2009, 11:45:08 PM
Quote from: Philotomy Jurament;316813I don't think universal mechanics are necessarily an improvement.
Ditto to that.

Joethelawyer

#13
July 29, 2009, 11:52:03 PM Last Edit: July 29, 2009, 11:56:00 PM by Joethelawyer
To the original question, no, I can't think of one truly innovative thing in game design since the late 70's.  I think the most innovative thing to affect the industry was the OGL, in terms of something that changed the way the industry operated.  But as far as something that changed how people gamed in any significant meaningful way, no, I can't think of any truly innovative things.  

Can anything really change when all we are doing is rolling dice to deal with a series of different types of challenges in the context of a story that is role-played out amongst the participants, made up as they go along?

edited to add---I really only play D&D so as to other games, I have no clue.
~Joe
Chaotic Lawyer and Shit-Stirrer

JRients:   "Joe the Lawyer is a known shit-stirrer. He stirred the shit. He got banned. Asking what he did to stir the shit introduces unnecessary complication to the scenario, therefore he was banned for stirring the shit."


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flyingmice

#14
July 29, 2009, 11:56:17 PM
I blogged about it on I Fly By Night.

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