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Eclipse phase or "Why are W100 system bad?"

Today, on the occasion of the publication of Eclipse phase a brief excursion into the role of game design. Eclipse phase looks cool, is incredibly colorful and ultimately deter me from despite the interesting subject (transhumanism) from the purchase. And that scares me off the system. Eclipse phase skills used in the W100 or percentage system (as well as RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu or a state /). These are all not the first choice as game systems, although a / state also offers an interesting setting. There is also a tangible reason, namely those mentioned W100.

There are basically four types of systems in role-playing dice:

• roll under: you roll under a certain number If you still want to determine the degree of success, you have to throw most of the Pull on the skill or attribute. Bonus and penalty are charged with the skill or attribute value.
• Roll over: you roll over a certain level of difficulty. The degree of success is determined by subtracting the Ziehlzahl in the throwing motion. Bonus or penalty will be charged to the union and compared with the target number.
• dice pools: Man rolls a number of dice (often the sum of attribute + skill) and see how many cubes are on a specific Ziehlzahl. The number of dice on the Ziehlzahl is the sum of the results. Bonus or penalty can be either to exist to modify the Ziehlzahl or the fact that one more or less dice rolls.
• Würfellos: The fourth "cube system" is characterized by the absence of dice cards instead be used.. These times more in a later blog entry. Here is the "cube" method only for completeness.

Personally I consider rolling over and dice pools (which also contain an element of rollovers) to tinker as the most elegant methods cube systems. Both systems are usually very visual and use manageable number of rooms.

roll under is by comparison quite complicated. Most people can add up much better and faster than subtract. Moreover, forcing a bonus or penalty to the skill or attribute to rethink. I will add / subtract something from a number and compare the new number (which I have only in the mind) with the roll of the dice. The brakes made.

is particularly bad is when you no longer convenient in the number range from 1-20, but in the bulkier number range is from 1-100. Since one can already in the middle of playing into the Stocken come. The W100 disturbs the flow of the game so much. The

then continues forward. For skills in the number range from 1-100 skill points required in the number range of 100-1000. That
awarded at the character creation I suddenly huge amounts of points. Here, it is usually still a corrective installed so that cost certain values (such as 70-80%) no longer a point for each%. That is all very tedious and computationally intensive.

addition, a percentage system seems accurate. It reflects in front of you a skill that pilot 56% is better than a 55% pilot skill. She is not. The difference between 55% and 56% skill in the game makes itself noticeable only if I really 100 times and more dice on this skill. Except for the fighting skills should occur in the average role-playing little. In contrast, the difference between +11 and +12 is evident in skill after 20 throws. On

It is best if the system can only player ever to distribute 50-20 at a time, then one can estimate much better if the character can be built as you like. At this point I commend times Warhammer Fantasy Role Play (1st and 2nd edition), Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader. Although the percentage system, they circumvent elegantly above cliffs.

If a game designer, says so use the W100 to have to let him but please make sure that the incredible sums of points which are necessary for creating a new character to be awarded in small bites.