| Verter said: So, taking that into account, what you can do to enhance an RPG is designing the progression system before anything else. That means that you must be able to test it and refine it in isolation, ideally polishing all the details in the process (not necessarily in an engine, it could be in a different platform or tool, or using any other method that is accurate enough). The result should be a robust progression system that feels rewarding and gratifying, and is in itself an interesting game loop. In order to do so in a competent way, of course, you need to know very well what you’re doing, so acquiring a deep knowledge in the matter should be the first step if you really want to go that route. If you can do it, however, it’s quite probable that, while designing the progression system, you come up with some interesting ideas about how the rest of the game should be, and those ideas will most likely intertwine in a very natural way with the progression system that you just created (since they were born from it), making the whole game way more cohesive as a result. |
I'd say that resolution mechanic goes hand in hand with progression system - personally, this is where I think it should start.
Something like D20+modifiers vs DC of D&D 3e/4e/5e has different probabilities (and progression) than something like 3d6 under of GURPS, d100 under of RuneQuest/Call of Cthulhu/BRP/Mythras, d6 dice pool (with 6 being success) of Mutant Year Zero engine, highest of d4 and your skill of Savage Worlds, 2d20 under of Modiphius's Fallout or Star Trek and so on, especially since some resolution mechanics don't give just binary Success/Fail, but level of success as well.
