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There are a ton of pen and paper game systems out there and different folks have different opinions about those that they like best or what have you. My question isn't about whats best though, its about how many of the games out there tackle different aspects of the game. My main area of knowledge has been around 3.x systems and how they handle combat and skills and traps etc. I have experimented with 4e and I had a good time with it as well. So, skipping past all that to my point. I have and continue to enjoy different games takes at how to do things. There have been some such as the Pathfinder skill system that hit me smack in the face and I thought to my self "Why on earth didn't I think of that years ago, its just so much simpler?"
Recently a podcast from the Tome Show opened my eyes to how the 4e skill challenge system works and I have already taken aspects of that game into one of my games.
This got my mental juices into digging into a few other d20 systems and I was intrigued by how Spycraft changed the combat mechanic to 2 half action or 1 full action. This is a cool idea. It isn't one that I currently use, but it was cool to know about and something I filed away in my alternate rules ideas folder.
Continuing my quest, I came across the new warhammer 3e line. I had played the 2nd edition in the past so I didn't know about the new image that the game had taken. Regardless, the dice pool mechanic was one that I had not really seen before and I found it odd, yet intriguing. It is a cool mechanic that I never would have thought of though it is not a very viable option when playing a messageboard game. In person though, I can see how it creates a story with each roll.
The Dark Heresy line uses the percentile dice to both determine a hit as well as location (the reverse of the dice in the roll). This may have been used before but this is the first instance of it that I remember.
Traveller has a very cool character creation system that has you basically playing out the decisions of your characters preadventuring life and using random tables to determine the outcome of those situations. Granted, I can't just use this system in any other game, but the system is cool nontheless.
The new kingmaker adventure path has a system mechanic for exploration and kingdom building. I haven't dug deep into them, but they also hold some cool mechanical rules for certain aspects of a game.
Ramble ramble ramble.....oh yes....my point. What other cool system mechanics are out there that have either created something new and innovative, fixed something that may have been broke, created an alternate system to an existing system, revived a mechanic that may have been forgotten, addressed some other campaign need, etc.
In short, what else should I take a look at?
4 page complete RPG. Roughly 80% of the concepts in the game are system neutral and can be ported over to any RPG. You're free to download it and give it a whirl, it works on the donation-model.
Notable concepts:
1) Collaborative character creation. Your fellow players pick your skills and special abilities.
2) Mechanical rewards for describing bad things happening to your character.
3) A combat sequencing system that feels like combat.
Hiya.
In short, what else should I take a look at?
As it seems you have been reletively sheltered in your RPG life, you are now opening your eyes to the wonders of the "different systems can be fun too" mentality. Congradulations! :)
Here's some things I find interesting, just off the top of my head:
D6 System (free, you can find here: http://www.wegfansite.com/forum/). In this system, I like the fact that the GM can basically 'design' a campaign world and then choose what stats and skills will be used. The system is a simple target number one, and the dice can be used one of two ways; either total (6+2+6 = 14), or '6, +1 per 6'(6+2+6 = 7). It's a very fast and free flowing system.
SilCORE (from DreamPod9; www.dp9.com ). This is another target number system, based on the '6, +1 per 6' style dice rolling. How it has "Complexity" for skills is really cool. Basically, complexity measures you 'bredth of knowledge' in a skill, not your competence in it. A medieval level doctor may have "Medicine 5 (Cpx2)", but a Star Trek level doctor may have "Medicine 3 (Cpx5)". The medieval doc is better at his job, but he only knows about 'dirt can cause infection'...the star trek doc knows all about dna sequencing and how to apply the correct settings to stimulate neurological synapse firing...although when it comes down to splinting a broken leg, the medieval doc will do it better and more successfuly than the star trek doc.
HARP, GURPS, Fantasy Elements (that last one is my RPG I'm writing...comming soon to a store near you...in fall of 2036 or thereabouts. ;) ). In particular, the "spell creation rules". I've just always liked the idea of somehow 'codifying' spell effects down into some sort of point-cost. Then using those to 'build' a spell just the way you want. Of course, you need a good GM and good players, otherwise it is ripe for abuse, like making a spell that costs 99% of your spell points, but instantly kills 99% of all creatures you may encounter...within line of sight.
Call of Cthulhu. Their rules for SAN and insanity are simply awesome, drenched in awesome sauce, with a side order of even more awesome.
Gamma World 3rd Edition: Some hate this version...I love it. :) I love the way that environments can hurt you. It's a "colored table d100" style system. Cool thing about environments is that they have "Intensity" scores, usually with some kind of complecations if you 'get hurt' in it. You simply add the intensity and damage scores of the areas Form and Ground Cover. So moving along the coast of southern california, you would add "Coast (I3/Dmg3)" for form, and "Sandy (I3/Dmg2)" for ground cover, giving you a total Intensity of 6 and base damage of 5. Certain terrains may have 'complications' associated with it, in addition to possibly takeing damage. For example, the terrain type of "Ruins" may also result in a check for Disease. Wanding through a "Desert" has the possability of Exhaustion. Very cool...and definitly puts the players in the thinking of "Ok, but do we have enough water for the trip? What about tents? Rope? Sleeping bags?"...in stead of just thinking "Whatever...when we can take 60hp damage, and sleeping 'in the cold' does a max of 5 damage to us...who cares?".
Lately I've fallen in love with FATE, as used in Spirit of the Century, Dresden Files RPG, Diaspora and Starblazer adventures. I like the use of Aspects. I've never seen so much roleplaying in my group as with this system.
I really like the d20 system, whether it's 3.0, 3.5 or Pathfinder.
It can become a bit clunky sometimes with too many technical rules, but if you keep the things simple and put the fun before the rules it is fluid and elegant.
Another system I always loved is the Star Wars RPG from West End Games (d6).
It's a little gem and perfect for a cinematographic action game.
DC Heroes where how well you 'hit' determined how much damage or how effective your 'attack' was.
Hero/G.U.R.P.S. for Disadvantages
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I would recommend looking at all of the ones mentioned above, plus a couple more "rules lite" ones like Risus, or Micrlite20, both of which can help with the concept of leaving out or reducing complex systems that cut into the flow of fun (and yes, Minimus, mentioned above, counts in this category, plus it has a really cool character creation mechanism). G.U.R.P.S. Lite is a little longer (a whopping 32 pages), but again it shows how to pare down to the essentials. These all have the added bonus of being free.
If you're looking for something that's still d20, but has a different take, then Iron Heroes might be something to look into. you can pick and choose elements for your own game, but it's going to take a bit of balancing if your group cares about that.
Last, you might want to look at the World of Darkness books. it's not a d20 system, but a lot that it does have is very interesting and in fact sort of inspired me to chance some of the stuff in my own game. specifically, the take on magic from Mage.
Anyhow, I hope that helped some.
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Rolemaster is a game that many players have challenges with due to its detailed & modular rules, extensive use of charts and the need to quickly add and subtract numbers that may go beyond 100. (its a % based system) But personally I've always found it both intuitive and easy to play. How this pertains to the OP is that the RM Standard System's skill mechanic was brilliant, IMHO.
When a character advanced from one level to the next he received DP's (Development Points) that he could use to increase his skills, spells, combat etc etc. The best part of the system is that the players has 3 options to chose from. He can increase the Skill "Category", the Skill itself or both.
An example of skill Categories and skills would be the following
Category - Lore - Magical
Skills - Spell Lore, Artifact Lore etc
Category - 1 Handed Edged Wpns
Skills - Dagger, Short Sword, Broadsword etc
The "Category" bonus can be used by all the skills which are under its umbrella, while any specific Skill bonus is added on top of the Category bonus. This division of skills enables a player to really customize his character. He can be a true jack-of-all-trades in some areas and specialized in others.
There are numerous versions of the basic system (HARP, Express, Classic, Standard System etc) but if it sounds interesting check out the Iron Crown site. The system has a steep learning curve, but once you and your players know it, it is a real blast to play.