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Human Head's Paper Gaming Secrets
Although some of you probably know Human Head as the videogame developers behind Rune, as well as the forthcoming Unreal-engined Dead Man's Hand and an as-yet unannounced Doom 3 engine title, but thanks to OgreCave for pointing out the company is diversifying back into board and paper-gaming with Human Head Games. This intriguing step includes "The Redhurst Academy of Magic, a new setting sourcebook designed for use in d20 System world settings and compatible with the new 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons rules", as well as a new boardgame title, which OgreCave reveal as being "Gothica: Dracula's Revenge, a two-player game set a few years after Bram Stoker's Dracula novel, where Dracula and his forces face off against Van Helsing and his allies in the streets of London." What other videogame companies would you like to see doing board/paper games?
I disagree with your point. Those systems work perfectly fine and they are open. That similariy makes it easy for people to transition back and forth without major problem.
If we are talking strictly RPG, what better system could be devised than a heavily playtested ruleset from the most popular RPG of all time?
The focus you speak about is really what I see as a cutting weakness in most game designs. We try to focus the player far too much and don't encourage exploration. One of the things that makes GTA3 such a cool game is that you can play however you want. Roleplaying from a paper perspective is all about imagination, but those focuses systems like Diablo using glowing rollovers for items makes it just a "follow the glowing stuff". There is no searching just a bunch of mouse clicking. That's a cutting weakness imo.
Forgot to mention in my other post that Human Head Studios has already demonstrated its affection for paper-game roleplaying, via the well regarded publisher Atlas Games. The Rune RPG, based on Human Head's computer game, was designed by versatile designer Robin D. Laws, whose other credits include the RPGs Feng Shui, Glorantha: The Hero Wars, and The Dying Earth. (Than which a stronger contrast to Rune would be hard to imagine.)