Chrome in RPGs

In wargaming there is a concept called Chrome. Chrome was very specific rules that normally didn't apply to every unit in the game, but were added to highlight details or reflect the theme.

Thus nearly every unit may have a movement rating, strength rating, have to deal with terrain, use the same rules for combat resolution, etc. One with Chrome however would something additional- either a modifier for the standard actions or even in some case completely new rules. SPI's Air War for example had (solely for fun in an otherwise serious simulation) Dragons and UFO rules, representing the ultimate extent of Chrome- shiny additions.

In a sense, RPGs with their focus on individual characters would naturally expand the use of the Chrome. Original D&D gave elves a bonus for finding secret doors, and that certainly looks like Chrome. Indeed, the whole fantasy section added on to Chainmail (one of the kicking off points for RPGs) was entirely Chrome.

As the 70s and 80s arrived in the RPG world, game design made a lot of what was Chrome part of the core rules, a reasonable decision since modeling characters is core to the RPG concept. HERO System is one of the best examples of this IMO with it's 'build anything' effects based approach.

However the last decade has seen a return to Chrome in spades. Be it Feats in D&D and Star Wars Saga, or Traits in Dark Heresy- there has been a significant and growing return to 'specific rules covering exceptions from the core mechanics'.

So significant in fact, that one could assert that they overshadow the core rules in importance- that characters in such games use and depend more upon feats than the core mechanics.

There are three serious issues with such designs:

Rule growth. Once you enter this path, you'll have significant pressure to continue it. Every new supplement has to have yet more Feats or Traits. And there is a tendency for them to grow in power in order to add even more 'shine'. This can quickly become unmanageable as players sort through books looking over all their options, and can reach the point where it becomes nearly impossible to understand the effects of all the options in combination.

Thus one gets 'killer builds' and other game breaking results that can best be dealt with by refusing to use the very supplements the authors create for the game.

Confusion. Such Chrome seriously hampers one's ability to look at a character stat block and understand what he can do. The core values may not be as important as the Feats, and if you don't immediately know what "Deadly Swing" does- you'll have to look it up in the rules.

Boring Core Mechanics. Previously games had to stand on how fun and engaging their core mechanics were. By shifting the focus to Chrome- those core mechanics lose their importance. And that may mean that the core game itself is unbalanced or boring. Chrome can hide this for a while, but unless it completely replaces it- gamers will discover it over time and lose interest in the game.

At the end of the day, I wonder if today's designers are shooting themselves in the foot. Afterall, do you know of any car designer who released a model 100% Chrome? No?

There's likely a reason for that don't you think?