Ramble on rpg design bits

Two posts in one day?! That's a record for this blog. Anyway, I've been reading a fun horror rpg but ran into interesting problems:
* 16 stats. With different abbreviations for each. And using non-'standard' ones, like INL for intelligence. I find nothing throws me off a game faster than a giant pile of abbreviations to memorize.
* Disadvantages. So, it's horror. It lists AIDS and Alzheimer's. And being a virgin. At which I went 'uh, what?'.

At which point it occurred to me that I've yet to find a game system with disadvantages that do NOT feel like pandering to min/maxing. BESM actually does pretty well in making (most) of them real disadvantages that cost to take, save for -ism and the like. It's probably a personal preference, but I'd rather people took such things for RP value and the like rather than for, well: "Omg! I must balance out ze point costs! Quick, Bad Temper!"

I suspect it would be interesting to make an rpg where character point totals didn't have to match so stringently. Or allow other methods of balancing than disadvantages, perhaps something like Hooks and Tails in other systems or stuff that encourages background and complications. No firm ideas as yet, just some thoughts.

And we're baaaack!

Aka, it's no longer November, games are moving ahead.

Defenders will likely wrap up soonish (16-20 sessions, I think) as far as the Main Plot Stuff goes. If the PCs wish to continue the game beyond that, we'll work stuff out.

Conviction will run at some point. Need to find out how many people are interested and what they'd like to play.

As for games after that, no idea at all :)