09-28-2016, 05:07 PM
Back in the day, we played a vastly underrated role-playing game called Chivalry and Sorcery. In it, carrying capacity was calculated as a function of many things, including strength, constitution, body mass, etc. So Strength factored into it, but only partially.
We added a house rule to the combat system. The standard rules had damage multipliers based on strength, and we changed it to use carrying capacity as a base. We reasoned that it was a fuller description of someone's ability to put power behind a sword-stroke. Maybe that was good, maybe not. But we did think about this stuff.
One thing I do know. There is a vast mine of game content sitting out there for intrepid game designers to explore and learn from. Vast archives of games from the ancient days of the 70s and 80s, filled with people confronting many of the same issues we find ourselves facing today. I came across an enormous archive of Avalon Hill's "The General" magazine, scanned to PDF, with tons of articles on game design, theme, tempo, and yes, play-by-mail topics. It's a pool almost too deep to dare dive into!
We added a house rule to the combat system. The standard rules had damage multipliers based on strength, and we changed it to use carrying capacity as a base. We reasoned that it was a fuller description of someone's ability to put power behind a sword-stroke. Maybe that was good, maybe not. But we did think about this stuff.
One thing I do know. There is a vast mine of game content sitting out there for intrepid game designers to explore and learn from. Vast archives of games from the ancient days of the 70s and 80s, filled with people confronting many of the same issues we find ourselves facing today. I came across an enormous archive of Avalon Hill's "The General" magazine, scanned to PDF, with tons of articles on game design, theme, tempo, and yes, play-by-mail topics. It's a pool almost too deep to dare dive into!