> To rob a topic from another group, "Why isn't there a >game system out there designed directly for online >gaming?" Okay...here's my shot at this... First off, there are four ways of going about online gaming, as follows: Software bundle (i.e. Everquest): These rules are specifically designed for online roleplay, but are integral to the software used for such roleplay. In other words, when such a game even requires a GM, they don't really have the capacity to muck with the rules. Advantage: Cool graphics to accompany your online roleplaying and high popularity. Disadvantage: Software, by necessity, forces constraints on what an individual GM is capable of doing. Play By E-Mail (PBEM): Once a very popular way of gaming, it's been on the a wane in recent years. You don't really need a specific rules-set for PBEM...you just use the rules you would in a normal, table-top game and go from there. The only real modifications you have to make are not game-rule related...how often people need to post, the method of posting, player interaction, etc. Advantages: Those with strict time limitations can still RP. Disadvantages: Play is very, very slow, particularly during an extensive combat. Play By Chat (PBC...I just made up an acronym, I think): Basically, this is like PBEM play, but real-time (or almost real-time). It's similar to tabletop gaming, except you don't get the face-to-face interaction. With some software, such as AOL, you can actually roll dice using special codes (which is sweet!). Again, you don't really need an system devised specifically for online play...just pick your favorite flavor, add a few guidelines for interaction online, and presto! Advantages: Real-time play with people all over the world. Disadvantages: Still no face-to-face contact, so the games often lack the luster of tabletop games. The fourth way is really a modification of the methods above...freeform. Rules are nonexistant or invisible to the player. This is a lot more like collective storytelling than role-playing and, admittedly, not something I'm keen on. But as you're talking about rules, this isn't really applicable. Okay...now that we've got that down, here's my opinion on why there aren't any rules specifically designed for online play: we don't need 'em. The difficulties in playing with published rules online are minimal as compared to the difficulties playing with published rules in a tabletop game (obviously, we're considering options 2 and 3 above). I mean, online play doesn't have an affect on stats or stat description, success determination, wound effects, or any other part of the core rules of a game system. Anyone who runs an online game must ponder some details like how he's going to regulate character interaction and individual actions, but that's something that's very much a person style decision, not something that needs to be codified in a book. When I ran Marvel-RPG a few years back, I had a two-page FAQ which pretty much summed this up...certainly not enough info for a sourcebook. Anyways, I'd love to hear others' opinions on this (particularly the original poster)...and the direction in which the original discussion went. Lucifer >:} ---------------------------------------------------------------- GMAST Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gmast/
