That old spell point system goes WAY back.

[geoffrey]

It seems that everyone has independently toyed with it:

"One of the first experiments we tried was to allow gamers to decide which spell they wished to cast in a particular situation with a robust backfire table should it go it be unsuccessful. It was based upon allowing the mage to have a number of mana points equal to his total spells such as 3 points for the one third level spell he could memorize and 4 points for his two second level spells permitted and 4 points of his four first level spells permitted for a total of 11 points. Thus in a situation in which he needed a simple light spell unexpectedly, he could attempt to cast it without the artifice of memorization per day."

That, my friends, is a quote from Bob Bledsaw from here:
www.acaeum.com/jg/HistoryCityStateCampaign.html

[Lord Kilgore]

Jan 22, 2011 22:35:13 GMT -6 geoffrey said:

It seems that everyone has independently toyed with it

I think so, as far as I can tell. I know I've tried several times over the years.

My conclusion is: Though the as-written system leaves a lot to be desired, none of the alternatives I devised were as good to use in the game as the original.

Also as far as I can tell, nearly everyone else reached the same conclusion on their own.

[blackbarn]

I have tried (and even preferred) spell point systems, which worked quite well. But I have a weird personal hangup with house rules... I always end up going back to the "real" rules, even though I might like other ideas better. I just like the consistency of having it all in the printed books and no confusion for players as to what is expected. Familiarity can be important.

Also, there's something about D&D, where when I change anything major it just doesn't feel like D&D anymore. And while other games can be great, only D&D scratches the "I want to play D&D" itch. I consider the game flawed (for what my ideal fantasy game would be like), but those flaws give it it's unique identity and charm, too.

[Koren n'Rhys]

I'm curious what that "robust backfire table" looked like. Anyone have any idea?

[DungeonDevil]

[imaginary backfire table]

Roll 2d6:

2-11....after the thick, acrid smoke clears the spellcaster is seen to have become a charred cinder.
12.......spell success!

[/imaginary backfire table]