Quote from: RPGPundit;360512In my experience its pretty much inevitable that item-making mechanics will be used by Munchkin players to create objects that break all game playability.
About 75% of these mechanics will additionally be mind-numbingly boring.

RPGPundit

I've had the same experience.  Which is what inspired my search for Something Else in the first place.

Quote from: RPGPunditIn my experience its pretty much inevitable that item-making mechanics will be used by Munchkin players to create objects that break all game playability. About 75% of these mechanics will additionally be mind-numbingly boring.  

So, a good subsystem design should be highly random, and prone to mishap and time-consuming R&D. Whatever happens should either be unexpectedly interesting or over quickly. The player inventor need only specify a general type of device within their field of knowledge (skill set). Building the initial prototype would require R&D time & money and may only result in a deadend or a lab accident or some other event. The device's starting size, form and requirements (fuel, equipment, personnel, etc.) could also be determined randomly, possibly entailing several re-inventions and fine-tuning before the thing would be practical - or even usable at all.

In other words, the real big world-busting inventions like a time machine or weather-control device will probably be built by NPC madmen, if at all. The PCs won't generally have the cash or the patience to mess about with inventing AND developing these big projects. When they invent something, it will probably be small, bizarre, faulty, single-use or all four; something like a sonic torch, holy-water grenade, ornithopter or x-ray glasses. Interesting but not game-breaking.

You know, I think you could be on to something there. I mean, obviously, it depends on which genre you're talking about.

RPGPundit

There is an invention system in the book Races of Ansalon by Margaret Weis Productions. It was designed with the Tinker Gnome race in mind, so it is a little involved. I do not have the book with me right now, so I can not give you any details, sorry.

I know I never read "Races of Ansalon", I was never much of a Dragonlance fan. But I saw Tinker Gnome rules somewhere, I think it must have been in the original Dragonlance sourcebook?

In any case, I don't think that they would exactly be ideal; they're too far to the other extreme of fucking useless items. I don't think that players would stand for it in the case of playing a supposedly serious and competent inventor.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;360755I know I never read "Races of Ansalon", I was never much of a Dragonlance fan. But I saw Tinker Gnome rules somewhere, I think it must have been in the original Dragonlance sourcebook?

In any case, I don't think that they would exactly be ideal; they're too far to the other extreme of fucking useless items. I don't think that players would stand for it in the case of playing a supposedly serious and competent inventor.

RPGPundit

The ruleset in Race of Ansalon is better IMO, but it is still takes a while to make anything by the RAW.