White wolf rambling

As David has asked, here's my view on the White Wolf System.

Now here I must ask you to remember one thing. I'm not talking about Vampire: The Masquerade, or any specific game setting - just the system.

The system itself is much better then I first thought, given the terrible things I've heard about it. It doesn't eat babies, burn dice or sacrifice lambs to the Gods of Hack. They are all unkind rumours.

The basic mechanic is something like this.

Decide what your doing (I'm picking this lock)
Work out the relevant statistic (It's a dexterity thing, so thats.........3)
Add your skill level (I've got 2 points in larceny, so thats 3+2=5)
Describe what your doing (And if its really atmospheric, you may get an extra +1 to +3..)
Roll your total in 10 sided dice.
Count up your 7s, 8s, 9s and 10s.
Count your 10s again!
Tell the person running the game your total, and start praying...

This is very similar to the d20 system we all know and love. Work out your skill ranks, add dex bonus, add extra modifiers and roll a 20 sided dice and add them all together.

But its better in a number of respects.

First, no matter how many dice you roll in White Wolf (WW), you can still fail. There's no "I add 23, so there's no point rolling". There's always risk.

Secondly, the skills arn't quite so specific. Larceny covers everything from mugging granny to picking the lock on the Grand Vizier's treasure horde - there's not hundreds of little skills, just big ones. After all, whats the point of separating out the ability to sneak around quietly and the the secrets of hiding? Arn't they really the same thing??

Thirdly, in white wolf, if you want to learn "a bit" of something, its quite straightforwards. Go find a teacher, spend a little xp, train a bit, and hey-presto! There's no artificial "Your a wizard. Wizards can't cook" limit, and you won't be charged double to learn. A little more...but not much.

Forth, in WW you can learn a little bit of a skill easily, without big penalties. Want to learn to swing a sword enough so you don't cut off your nose? Sure, no problem. As in real life, you've got the option of being an amateur.

Fifth, in most games you have a level. You can be stuck at level 8 for ages, and see no progress. Or you can level up and gain....nothing. (See rangers, paladins, fighters, rogues....). But with WW you can spend 1 point of experience. Or 3. Or however much you have, within limits.

In conclusion, the system itself isn't Bad. For some games, it could be really Good. Big, epic games where you've got a purpose, power and the desire to do something.

Good enough that I'm pondering how to convert something for my return.

I'm also sure the system has downsides. Anyone think of some?