Whats the single rule that you hate in a given RPG system? The one that ruins or almost ruins a set of rules that you otherwise like?

For example, I detest "Attacks of Opportunity", it almost ruins my experience of any D20 game that uses them.

RPGPundit

Any rule that says a particular class absolutely cannot wear a type of armor or use a type of weapon at all under any circumstance.  Not that they suffer some kind of penalty for doing so, but they have absolutely no ability to use the item or equipment whatsoever, it is just impossible.

Rifts' megadamage rule was so awkward that I just couldn't get into the game - though that wasn't the only reason.

Anything that complicates matters for no reason - ie most of Exalted.

The base rule is fine, X + Y + Z = Dicepool vs. Difficulty or opponent.

Then you get all the restrictions and book keeping for attacks, combos etc.

Maybe I'm just bad at maths....

Worst rules for me:

Personality mechanics. Alternately, anything with merits and flaws where you can take like.. color blind or "Irrational Attraction to Cheese" or something in exchange for something else.


(I on the other hand love Attacks of Opportunity, because that's where the bulk of the tactical part of the game is- setting up and avoiding AoO's through player determined tactics).

Most autofire rules...

I hate overly complicated rules for firearms use, especially in a cinematic game.

I have disliked the called shot rules in every edition of Shadowrun to date.

Most hit location systems and many systems that try to overcategorize damage types (slashing, impaling, blunt, lethal, non-lethal). Hit location systems get in the way of my enjoyment kind of like AoO for RPGPundit - either they wind up being really weird ("Okay, you rolled a critical hit and you hit him in...the foot. Yeah, you're 6'6" tall and he's 4'5" tall, you hit him in the foot") or they wind up being convoluted to make up for the shortcoming ("Ok, you're taller than he is so we roll on the hit location table and add 2 to compensate for the difference.") The overcategorized damage usually tries to put some kind of weird logic in place that winds up making one type of damage way more effective than another ("Piercing attacks do double damage when they penetrate armor because they penetrate deeper...bashing attacks fill up bruise boxes until they overflow and start doing lethal damage.")

If it's a "cinematic" game, just use random damage and hit points or something. If it's a "grittier" game, just have three levels (Hurt, More Hurt, and Dead) and leave it at that. The Synergy system in Blue Planet summed it up nicely when it basically said that the idea of "non-lethal damage" (as in damage that can never kill) is an illusion and that all "damage" has the capability of killing; the same goes for hit locations with the illusion that it's "more okay" to get stabbed in one location than another. I prefer more generalities that give us a chance to actually narrate the wounds and their effects in a way that makes sense given the circumstances.

Quote from: RPGPunditWhats the single rule that you hate in a given RPG system?

The initiative rules in CORPS really hurt what is otherwise an amazing game. What the fuck was Greg Porter thinking there?

Not a single rule but the rolling under mechanic really hurts Tri-Stat games, especially during combat.


By far, the worse rule ever has to be the initiative system in FVLMINATA but that's alright because the rest of the game sucks ass too. The designer of that game makes Raven McCracken look like a genius.

FVLMINATA?

Quote from: Consonant DudeThe initiative rules in CORPS really hurt what is otherwise an amazing game. What the fuck was Greg Porter thinking there?

I haven't gotten that far in CORPS yet, but how bad is it? I understand that it  is tied to the skill level of the person taking the action and at least that makes a lot of sense to me.

I'm with The Pundit on this one:

AoO, I hate them.:muttering:

Our group loves them, but we've got a bunch of guys that started out as wargamers.

Quote from: James McMurrayFVLMINATA?

Rome develops gunpowder in the wake of Pompeii.