In recent years, the dominance of the D20 system, popularized by games like Dungeons & Dragons, has had a profound impact on the tabletop roleplaying game (RPG) industry. While the D20 system has its merits, this article explores the argument that its widespread use has stifled creativity in certain RPG genres, particularly superhero and space opera settings. Through careful analysis and citation of relevant sources, we will demonstrate how the rigid adherence to the D20 system is detrimental to the diversity and innovation within the world of roleplaying games.
The D20 system, introduced by Wizards of the Coast in 2000 for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons, revolutionized role-playing games with its core mechanic: a 20-sided die that streamlined decision-making in the game. Its release under the Open Game License allowed for unprecedented proliferation across the RPG industry, enabling other companies to create D20-based games without paying licensing fees.
This openness facilitated a surge in D20 products, as it was no longer necessary to create a unique system for each new RPG; one could simply build upon the D20 system. The economic advantage of this approach was clear: it mitigated the diminishing sales seen with game supplements over time, ensuring that the core books—and by extension, the D20 system—remained central to the RPG experience.
The D20 system’s dominance is also due to its adaptability. While it was not presented as a universal system, its core mechanics were adaptable to various settings and genres, similar to the Basic Role-Playing system used in early games by Chaosium. This flexibility likely contributed to its widespread adoption and could be seen as a factor in the D20 system’s market dominance.
While I was unable to retrieve the latest sales figures, the impact of the D20 system on the RPG market is clear: it created a standardized gameplay foundation that has been widely adopted, leading to a market where D20-based RPGs are ubiquitous. This could be seen as contributing to a homogenization of RPG mechanics, potentially stifling innovation and creativity within the genre.
Combat-Centric Mechanics
Envision a D20-based RPG where players are deep in the machinations of a political thriller set in a fantasy realm. The characters are envoys and spies, their weapons are words, and their battlegrounds are the courts and dark alleys of intrigue. However, when the moment comes to navigate a tense diplomatic exchange that could prevent a war, the D20 system reverts to simplified charisma checks or persuasion rolls. The rich potential for layered dialogue and the subtle play of political maneuvering are boiled down to a single die roll, often not reflecting the depth of the characters’ skills and the complexity of the situation.
This example illustrates how the combat-centric mechanics of the D20 system can sideline the nuanced play that is essential to certain RPG narratives. The emphasis on physical confrontation means that the intricacies of social interaction, which should require careful strategy and character development, are often underdeveloped. For players who relish the slow burn of a political plot or the emotional gravitas of interpersonal relationships, the D20 system may fail to capture the essence of these experiences, making it less suitable for RPGs where combat is not the primary focus. We’ll touch on that in a moment.
Randomness Versus Skill
A significant critique of the D20 system is that the randomness of die rolls can overshadow a character’s skills, leading to inconsistent gameplay where luck is a more decisive factor than expertise.
To illustrate the point of randomness versus skill within the D20 system, consider a scenario where a highly skilled character and an average character are both attempting to perform the same action, such as disarming a trap. The skilled character might have a +10 bonus due to their expertise, while the average character has a +2 bonus. In the D20 system, both characters roll a 20-sided die to determine their success. If the skilled character rolls a 3, their total is 13. If the average character rolls an 18, their total is 20. Despite the skill discrepancy, the average character outperforms the skilled one simply due to a lucky roll. This example underlines how the D20 system can sometimes allow chance to overshadow a character’s abilities, leading to potentially frustrating situations where skill does not equate to success.
Narrative Dissonance
Consider a situation in a D20 system game where a character suffers a dramatic wound in combat, such as a large gash from a sword. Mechanically, the character loses a substantial number of hit points. However, after the battle, they can take a short rest and recover most, if not all, of their hit points. Narratively, it’s challenging to justify how a character with such a severe injury could be back to fighting form after a mere half-hour of rest. This disconnect between the mechanics of hit points and the realistic consequences of injuries can make it hard for players to stay immersed in the game’s story.
Difficulties in Non-Combat Genres
Imagine a D20 game centered around political intrigue in a royal court, where nuanced dialogue and delicate negotiations are key. In such a setting, the D20 system may falter, as its rules are less comprehensive for non-combat situations. For instance, a character specializing in diplomacy faces a complex negotiation with a rival faction. The D20 system would likely reduce this intricate interaction to a simple die roll, perhaps modified by a diplomacy skill – a stark contrast to the depth of real-world diplomacy. This reductionist approach can strip away the richness of non-combat scenarios, making the game less engaging for players seeking a complex narrative experience. The system’s constraints could lead to a gameplay experience where the subtleties of political maneuvering are lost, underscoring the challenges for RPGs that strive for a narrative depth beyond combat.
In a game focusing on mystery and detective work, where players must gather clues and deduce the perpetrator of a crime, the D20 system’s mechanics may not provide the granularity needed for such investigative work. Players might find themselves rolling for “Perception” or “Investigation” checks to find clues, which reduces the complex process of deduction to randomness. The thrill of piecing together evidence and having ‘eureka’ moments based on logical reasoning and character expertise is diminished when the outcome hinges on a single roll. This simplicity can undermine the suspense and intellectual satisfaction that should come from solving a mystery, showing the system’s limitations in scenarios where the narrative’s integrity relies on more than just combat prowess.
In practice, D20-based games can struggle with genres that emphasize storytelling and character development over combat. The system’s structure can hinder the Game Master’s flexibility in creating a narrative-driven campaign, as the rules are not designed to accommodate scenarios outside its traditional combat scope. This limitation has led to criticism from players and designers who feel that the D20 system doesn’t support the full spectrum of role-playing experiences, especially in settings that aren’t combat-heavy.
Stifling Creativity in Superhero RPGs
Superhero RPGs thrive on the imaginative and diverse powers that characters wield, which often challenge the rigid frameworks of systems like D20. The criticisms of superhero RPGs that have employed the D20 system, like Silver Age Sentinels and Vigilance, stem from a fundamental mismatch. The D20 system was built for Dungeons & Dragons, a game that did not require the mechanics for expansive superpowers. While it’s possible to retrofit the D20 system to accommodate superheroics, it often feels forced and “clunky.” citation
The analogy provided by a user on the HERO Games forum captures this mismatch effectively: asking if the D20 system can handle superhero RPGs is like asking if a Porsche can pull a horse trailer. Technically, it’s possible, but it’s not the ideal tool for the job. The D20 system can barely manage a more grounded superhero game, akin to Netflix’s “Defenders,” but struggles with the flexibility needed for a more expansive and cinematic experience, like that of Marvel’s Avengers.
This comparison highlights that while the D20 system’s mechanics are robust for certain styles of play, they can stifle the creativity required for superhero RPGs, where the essence of the genre of unique and often larger-than-life powers and narratives that do not fit neatly into the D20 mold. This writer had a personal disappointment with thr tryout of Aberrant D20 and I actually thought I was going to have a stroke it was so bad. The original system was far more suitable.
Problems with Space Opera
In the vast and imaginative realms of space opera RPGs, the D20 system’s rigorous structure can indeed stifle the grandiose and epic storytelling that the genre is renowned for. Let’s explore this through the experiences shared across various forums and discussions by players and game masters who have navigated these cosmic narratives.
On the RPGnet Forums, a discussion about the Saga D20 Star Wars highlighted some of the issues faced when using the D20 system for space opera settings. The spaceship and vehicle rules, while serviceable, were not the highlight of the game. The lack of support for 3-D combat made space fights feel two-dimensional and lacking the depth that space operas deserve. Additionally, while the classes were adapted to fit the genre, the system’s expansion led to bloat, with talents and feats feeling like they were shoehorned from D&D without adequate consideration for the change in setting and tone1.
In contrast, when looking at innovative RPG systems tailored to the space opera genre, Trinity stands out. With its unified mechanic, Trinity provides enough structure to manage gameplay without becoming excessively complicated. It is designed to accommodate a range of sci-fi settings, including space opera, and allows for extensive customization, aligning well with the spirit of grand space adventures.
Moreover, the original Traveller game system is lauded for its adaptability to any style of space opera. Players have used Traveller to run a variety of settings from different franchises, taking advantage of its flexible mechanics to support the vastness and creativity required by the genre. The system’s capability to handle diverse scenarios without becoming overly complex makes it a favorable alternative to D20 for those looking to capture the epic scope of space opera narratives.
If you want more from you RPG, move away from D20.
From these insights, it’s evident that while the D20 system has its strengths, its rigidity and grounding in realism can hamper the storytelling potential in space opera RPGs. Systems like Trinity and Traveller (non D20) provide the flexibility and adaptability necessary to embrace the full breadth of creativity that space operas demand, from intricate ship customization to the portrayal of complex, character-driven storylines that span galaxies.