Fantasy Hearbreaker: Blending Two Systems

Like everyone else remotely associated with the OSR I've been cobbling together my own version of the different rules. Most games are a stew of parts tossed in and blended to the GMs satisfaction. If we didn't want to tinker we'd be playing Pathfinder or something.

So I thought I'd layout some of the framework and design considerations that I've been working with while creating my Fantasy Heartbreak I call Medieval Mayhem. I think the best place to start would be with the fundamental mechanic of the system.

Originally I used the OpenQuest system. OpenQuest used skills with a roll under percentile system. Percentiles are easy to grasp and OpenQuest had a limited set of fairly broad skills. It was skills done simple. Then I read the Black Hack. It was even simpler, but in a very elegant way.

I didn't like the way Black Hack had skill tests against characteristics and experience increased those characteristics. I prefered the OpenQuest skill list.  Skills could be increased through experience while leaving the characteristics themselves alone. The two systems combined beautifully.

OpenQuest was based on RuneQuest, and in RuneQuest type games they have lots of bonuses and penalties to show how difficult some tasks are. OpenQuest simplified this to a broad bonus or penalty which I liked. Black Hack did that one better (well D&D 5e did and Black Hack adopted the system). Instead of having bonuses or penalties  you have disadvantages and advantages. If you are at a disadvantage you roll your d20 twice and pick the worst one. If you are at an advantage you roll your d20 twice and pick the best. No math, and easily extendable if you want (severely disadvantaged the GM could have you roll 3 times or 4 times).

I divided skills into primary and secondary (secondary skills are 1/2 the average of two attributes, primary are the average). Depending upon your previous history some skills will be primary, most secondary. I was looking for simplicity and elegance and this was it. As far as experience points both systems simplified things greatly.

There was only one question left. Black Hack uses classes and OpenQuest does not. The idea of classes never sat right. I understand them as a shorthand to make character creation quick, and I understand folks enjoy the leveling up that occurs occasionally (and enjoying creating new classes), but the idea of a class defining a character for the bulk of their career felt artificial and more like a straight jacket and I didn't like it.

In a previous draft of Medieval Mayhem I had it so players could purchase feats to get special abilities. The way I did it was overly complex but the idea was a good one. You could get the same leveling up skill with limited power feats and I could do so without sticking to classes so much.