Top 5 Overlooked Rule Subsets of RPGs
The list below covers a number of rule subsets that get forgotten in RPGs. These groups of rules get overlooked or game masters feel they may bog down a game or for some other reason they are not enforced. But using these rules (or not) can have an important effect on the game. Sometimes that effect changes the game balance in favor of one race or class or creature type. In other cases an encounter may not be as challenging (and fun–because the best stories come from the more difficult trials) as it should be.
Most RPGs have rules that fit these categories, so this list is game system neutral. In no particular order:
Encumbrance: How does the party carry an extra couple of suits of armor, a pile of coins and several other mysterious finds along with their normal equipment? Most of us know there are encumbrance rules, but rarely does a GM ask us to add up the weight of our possessions plus what has been found or looted. If so, the party might have to make a couple of extra trips or be more selective regarding that the group takes.
Spell Components: Some believe magic users are more powerful, especially at higher levels. (Some don’t believe this premise.) In any case if the GM wants to scale back the power of magic in a party, he would only need to ask the players of magic user types to track their spell components. If there were good reason, he could make some spells un-castable by not making those spells’ components available. (It wouldn’t be fair to do this to players without a fair purpose.)
Weather Effects: Gamemasters often fail to remember that weather may impact a character. A party going through a desert should be asked to keep careful track of the water supply. A group travelling a high-mountian pass will need to be properly outfitted or suffer some penalties. These weather effects are often considered at first, but then quickly forgotten.
Lighting: Running an encounter using a computer program really showed us how much our group glossed over the concept of lighting. Some foes were able to attack without our party having a good chance to fight back by standing just outside of our lantern’s range. Another pair of allies ran into trouble because they didn’t take a light source with them when they ran in pursuit. Furthermore, our light source gave our position away to many adversaries.
Magical Side Effects: Did your mage just fireball the green dragon sitting on his treasure hoard? Don’t be surprised if after the encounter a good GM rolls a bunch of dice to see how much of that hoard was incinerated. While magic items have higher chances to resist fire, acid, etc., there is still a chance some may be ruined.
Many GMs do enforce some of these rules, but it is rare for a GM to remember to enforce each of them.
Do you know of a good resource about spell components? I’ve been wanting to use components as treasure in my next campaign.
I WOULD ADD AMMUNISION TO THE LIST. I DONOT MAKE MY PLAYERS KEEP TRACK OF ARROWS BOLTS, STONES OR WHATEVER THEY ARE THROWING AT MONSTERS, BECAUSE IT IS EVER FUN TO RUN OUT OF AMMO?
Agreed that these are rules subsets that are often overlooked (and in many cases rules subsets that don’t even exist – such as weather effects in older D&D editions). However, it really depends on the game style as to whether these things are going to increase the fun of the game, or just the amount of minutia being tracked.
The feel of a game can change drastically just by adding serious encumbrance tracking or spell components tracking. Tracking minutia makes the game feel more gritty and small-scale, not something you may want to do when trying to run a game that feels like a sweeping epic. Even how you handle weather effects as an example: In a heroic epic, you describe the weather as a role-playing element that makes the battle scenes more exciting and visually stimulating, whereas in a low-level gritty game you make it affect movement, balance checks and sighting range.
Regarding spell components, I loved how 3e handled them. The vast majority of components just required one item of equipment, a spell component pouch. Only a few spells required something special. That’s the kind of fudging I like for an epic-style game.
@kaeosdad – back in the AD&D1e days there was an excellent article in Dragon Magazine detailing all the spell components required for all the spells along with where they could be found and the prices to get them in appropriate stores. Well worth looking up.
@Joeskey – again, ammunition is something that you track depending on the style of game you are playing. I’ve played games where ammunition in a gun ran out whenever you rolled the lowest result possible in that game (so a 2 in a 2d6 resolution system) instead of actually tracking ammunition use. I’ve also played in some down-and-dirty games where we tracked every last bullet we had, and even tracked how much of the spent brass we were able to recover from the scenes of our battles.
@kaeosdad: Quick rule of thumb for spell components I’ve used for many years: The caster must carry a ‘component bag’, which provides all their basic spell components. They must spend a fixed amount of time and/or money per week to maintain their components. Cost / time is based on total spell levels known (talking D&Dish magic here). For example a mage with access to 1st – 3rd spells would spend 1+2+3 GP or hours per week to maintain their component bag. Unique / expensive components must be accounted for separately.
You have some good points, my view of encumbrance is that its pointless. Players will spend too much time over this one small item, and lose track of the game. the DM should just say you don’t have room when he feels this is the case. Weather Effects/Lightning is something i actually plan into my game and encounter, its important combat information in 4E now.
As for Magical Side Effects, i think it should be a rare thing. Fireballing the dragon treasure horde should have no effect because the fireball is instant, it just does damage, the gold goings won’t be destroyed, at worst case a few will be stuck together, and lets face it, in a fantasy setting its still going to be traded around. It really comes down to the scenario.
@ DYSON…… RECOVER SPENT CASINGS? CAN ONLY BE TWILITE2000, A FAVORITE!!!!!
Yep – Twilight 2000 is one of very few games where spent brass was more than a cosmetic effect. I’ve also seen brass collected in CyberPunk & Shadowrun when trying to clean up after a hit.