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From: tim@cmu-cs-k.ARPA (Tim Maroney)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Gripe ( Dragonquest )
Message-ID: <288@cmu-cs-k.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 25-Feb-85 19:34:49 EST
Article-I.D.: cmu-cs-k.288
Posted: Mon Feb 25 19:34:49 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Mar-85 07:38:46 EST
References: <4918@ukc.UUCP>
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 22

I didn't know DragonQuest didn't have character classes.  Interesting.  The
approach to training seems similar to RuneQuest and other BRP-family games
from Chaosium.  The new version of RQ has an even better approach, a fusion
of the two through an extended previous experience system.  I believe that
probably has its roots in Traveller, but I prefer the RQ3 approach.  (For
one thing, there's no chance of death involved, so you don't waste time
generating and discarding characters before play.)  You get points in
various skills, and possibly spells, for each year spent in the profession.

In a good FRPG, a character can learn any skills or magic that he or she can
find a teacher for.  Of course, religions, guilds, prejudices, and so on
will create some restrictions, but there should be none of this "A human
magic-user is physically incapable of lifting a sword and swinging it in an
arc" nonsense, as in AD&D.
-=-
Tim Maroney, Carnegie-Mellon University Computation Center
ARPA:	Tim.Maroney@CMU-CS-K	uucp:	seismo!cmu-cs-k!tim
CompuServe:	74176,1360	audio:	shout "Hey, Tim!"

"Remember all ye that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are
but as shadows; they pass & are done; but there is that which remains."
Liber AL, II:9.