tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-699951736004887261.post4695068264376051732..comments2023-12-24T09:23:11.590+00:00Comments on A Sword for Hire: Archetypes, part III: Archetype lengthMikko Kalliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993661189723068135noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-699951736004887261.post-41471764770274445672015-03-18T22:09:16.158+00:002015-03-18T22:09:16.158+00:00I think it depends on the goal of the archetype. Z...I think it depends on the goal of the archetype. Zen archer is basically a pseudo-alternate class, so it makes sense for it to have a large wordcount. But not every archetype needs to be a zen archer. <br /><br />Something you lightly touched on, simplicity serves as another major reason to keep the word count conservative. I come from an engineering background where the general mantra is to keep things simple because complexity creates more points of failure. An engineer wants make sure the effectiveness of a system justifies any complexity cost. I found this true for game design as well. A game designer should try to keep things simple. If they must make rule complicated, the content should become that much more fun. The higher the word count, the more likely something will go wrong and the less likely a designer will catch it.<br /><br />The Eldritch Scion from Advanced Class Guide is an excellent example. That archetype has 679 words and nearly takes an entire page. Despite being so complicated, it really doesn't do very much. Yet, there's so many problems with it that the designer likely didn't catch because it's difficult to see them with all the bloat. One of the abilities doesn't actually do anything and replaces one of the class's best class features.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00692783456031032986noreply@blogger.com