Finally, a game that puts player skill first and removes AC as being the sole deciding factor of how difficult something is to hit. Finally, plate mail is not the ultimate 85% AC 18 armor solution. I know other games do this, which is basically a skill roll plus damage resistance mechanic. Still, the d00 System mixes this in with a multi-action economy which allows you to "bet" on your success, utilize high ability scores better, and ties defenses into how many actions you choose to take during a turn.
This is a genius design, and it borrows some from actual gambling mechanics.
It isn't a gambling game at all, but the concept of taking your first action at 80%, a second action at 60% (20% less each extra action), and holding at 40% and using that as your defensive roll is pure inspired genius. The more actions you take, the worse chance your next one has, and the worse your defenses become. Still, that 40% is pretty good; a 40% chance to block an attack that could have hit you is way better than the d20 systems' "just take it."
Do you think you can alpha-attack a foe and overwhelm them in the first turn? Push your luck and try! Do you want to hold back and play a more defensive game? Do less, and save yourself for defense.
Genius.
It puts player choice into the action economy while rewarding high skill levels.
The system also offers success chances greater than 100% for even more fun. Got a 140% chance to hit with your sword and an 80% acrobatics? Well, in single-attack games, you are hitting all the time and are bored. Here, you could make your first action two acrobatics rolls at 80% and 60%, and when your modifier is at -40%, make that first melee attack at 100% and save 80% for defense (holding at -60% for whatever comes up).
Yes, the modifier is on one track, while your skills are as they are on the character sheet. I burn off the first -40% because I know those attacks would have hit anyways and use the lower-level skills. When I am in the 100% zone, I attack and save a hefty chunk for defense.
A dynamic action economy with action planning?
Even better.
Honestly, I feel Pathfinder 2 borrowed some of these ideas for their 3-action system and tightened it up to fit within a wargame model. This is a pure expression of a multi-action system in a fantasy game, with fewer rules and structure, but also open-ended. This is a rules-light game with much room to add your creations and content, so I am immediately attracted to such a model.
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