What are "essential" TTRPG mechanisms?

[Maenalis]

I understand that there are many different TTRPGs, many different style of playstyles etc. But in your opinion, what are "essential" (whatever that means for you) mechanisms that your games (usually) have to have?

For me:

• Perception check
• Ability checks
• Skill checks
• Combat mechanisms (Hand-to-hand, ranged, magic, spaceship, etc.)
• Health system (insanity, critical hits, armor etc.)
• Equipment/tools (lock picking tools, magical ingredients, fuel for spaceship etc.) and economy simulator
• Powers/abilities/spells (D&D 4e style daily, encounter and at-will powers, for example normal spells), a bare bones game where the fighter can swing his sword and that's it is boring for me.

 

[pawsplay]

Defining the setting.
Giving the GM or someone the ability to referee.
Deciding who gets to decide how to narrate the results of actions, and how they are allowed to do it.
Some structure for defining the playable characters, and what are allowed PC types.
An agreement among the players as to how the campaign is structured in real time.

 

[Tonguez]

1 a way of presenting a challenge and
2 a limiter on what actions each character can do in response
3 a way of making each character interesting

 

[Maenalis]

None of those are mechanisms. I would call them design principles.

 

[pawsplay]

None of those are mechanisms. I would call them design principles.

A design principle is something like, "Any intelligible action or choice can be resolved in the game with appropriate results."

If you write three or four sentences in response to everything in my list Tonguez's, you have enough to run one of those forum-based and chat-based RPGs we used to play in the late 1990s. Sometimes it's called freeform.

 

[overgeeked]

A method of resolving disagreements about what happens next. That’s it.

“I shot you!”

“No, you didn’t!”

Roll for it. Flip for it. Draw a card for it. Whatever.

Almost everything can be determined by the fiction. What does the fiction dictate? Do that. Not sure what the fiction dictates? Insert randomizer here. You don’t need much more than that.

 

[Maenalis]

A design principle is something like, "Any intelligible action or choice can be resolved in the game with appropriate results."

If you write three or four sentences in response to everything in my list Tonguez's, you have enough to run one of those forum-based and chat-based RPGs we used to play in the late 1990s. Sometimes it's called freeform.

Concrete MECHANISMS please!

I am not asking about freeform.

 

[SableWyvern]

I understand that there are many different TTRPGs, many different style of playstyles etc. But in your opinion, what are "essential" (whatever that means for you) mechanisms that your games (usually) have to have?

For me:

• Perception check
• Ability checks
• Skill checks
• Combat mechanisms (Hand-to-hand, ranged, magic, spaceship, etc.)
• Health system (insanity, critical hits, armor etc.)
• Equipment/tools (lock picking tools, magical ingredients, fuel for spaceship etc.) and economy simulator
• Powers/abilities/spells (D&D 4e style daily, encounter and at-will powers, for example normal spells), a bare bones game where the fighter can swing his sword and that's it is boring for me.

Why do you feel it is essential to have both skill and ability checks as separate systems?

 

[Maenalis]

Why do you feel it is essential to have both skill and ability checks as separate systems?

If I want to kick in a door I use a strength check.
If I want to push/shove an opponent I use a grapple check.

Same thing, my character just practiced one (grappling) a lot of times so s/he has an advantage (skill bonus).

-

My character is a talented and experienced actor, so when s/he tries to imitate a voice s/he gets skill bonus on it.
My other character is an experienced con man and charmer, but didn't practice voice mimicking, so he only uses his ability bonus.
Both of them are very charismatic, but one is experienced in a skill, the other one not.

 

[Tonguez]

okay the only essential mechanism is "Take Turns"

randomisers include rolling Dice, Card draws, action points, bidding Coins, drawing coloured Rocks, Jenga towers, or fixed traits (no randomizer)