So, it has been a while but I had a bit of inspiration the other day. I thought back on the many vehicular combats in Nebuleon and how happy I am that they work out well most all the time. This comes from having envisioned how I wanted a mechanic to work and then putting to paper just how to do it. More than that though, it is the realization of a idea in a corporeal form.
Example: A team was sent to a polar region of the planet Dons-Kal-rien, a Dremin world. The arctic region was a corporate preserve and proving ground for W.A.R. Ind. These jokers were supposed to use their formidable stealth skills to infiltrate and do some espionage. What they found surprised them. It turned out to be an illegal clone farm for elite Dremin looking for spare organs and such. Well, lots fo adventure later, they end up in a hanger for experimental vehicles with a ton of security. Basic running fire-fight (remember, stealth). They come across a crate of AP shoulder mounter ground to air missiles. One of the security guys is a pilot and powers up a vtol with an experimental (and illegal) particle cannon that basically melts flesh. They get the drop on the pilot as he has to roll piloting to take off (weapon wont fire on the ground) and a weapons tech check (usually you have a gunner to handle that) at a minus. Joker ex-marine has a Heavy weapons skill. Whips out the Missile launcher and fires.
Here is the part that filled me with joy. The weapon hit. We determined the location randomly, and it turned out to be the weapons pod holding the beam weapon. Bam! Taken out. But this monster has high velocity rapid fire gauss rifles on it as well and the pilot switches over to auto-fire and blazes away taking down one of the Jokers. The medic is on her in a flash and begins life support. Ex-Marine joker fires a second missile and this one hits the engine taking the vtol down.
What is missed in that description is the effortless back and forth of the system. It PLAYED like that. The system did not get int he way, it faded but emphasized, it guided but did not dictate the actions.
In short, the system was informative to the outcome of the actions of the players. That, to me, is cool.
Nature of What Attracts People to RPGs
So, I am going to take a controversial position here (or maybe not depending on your view). I believe a certain axiom is true among every RPG player (ad beyond I am sure but looking at RPGers here).
Those attracted to RPGs are dissatisfied with the nature of their reality. More, they wish to craft their own reality in such a way that they control the bad guys, are always the smartest or fastest or strongest.
At the root, this takes two forms, first, with players who wish to have a “better” version of both the world but also themselves. They remake their inner demons to craft them to strengths. They emphasize what strengths they wish they have. Deeper, they create a space in their imagination that is safe for them to experiment with tropes and actions they they are too fearful of or cannot overcome taboo in real life.
Game masters are a different beast. They wish to engage in control of their world. Control they do not have. This is a world were the people (at least those under their command) do as they are told. PCs are problematic but they can add the random spice to the world that a GM misses. This allows for things to happen that they (GM or Player) cannot foresee. This is the base of the exchange, the payment given and received.
Imagine a game, even a board game, where you always can change the rules to your advantage and you play against no one, solitaire where you cheat. The fun rapidly fades. People who always cheat soon give up the game but those who occasionally or never cheat find themselves, entertained. In this way, the RPG without the dynamic of the GM and Player rapidly becomes boring. The enjoy this, the GM must be allowed to control his world but not to the point where the players do not get to exercise their exploration of strengths, weaknesses, taboos or even exercising demons.
A balance must be struck between the GM indulgence of ego vs the exercise of player ID.