10 Overused RPG Mechanics That Must Die Next Generation

Mechanics and abilities are the lifeblood of role-playing games. From spells to shooting, hacking to hunting, arguably, the more things for the player to do, the better off your game is going to be. This isn’t always the case, as throwing in every half-assed idea you can think of won’t bolster your game. In fact, it’ll do more to make it look shallow as opposed to rich in features. Adjacent to this sentiment is that of inconsistency, mechanics in the game that don’t make much sense when paired up with other things you’ve seen or done.

In recent years, we’ve seen a rise in survival elements in gaming, RPGs especially. Survival is one instance of a mechanic which doesn't always work. Sure, if you’ve built the game to your audience from the get-go that this is a hardcore-survival-wilderness game, we’ll let it slide. If you just want to jam food, water, stamina, sleep, sex and dog-walking stats into your RPG - particularly those which need to be tended to every five minutes - then that isn’t appropriate. Random, unnecessary and inconsistent mechanics pushed into games they aren’t welcome in do not add depth, and it can often ruin an otherwise fun, more casual experience.