Runes: The new fashion in Fantasy Gaming?

[Pharaoh_]

I've been searching around and realised that many new games base their gameplay off Runes. Several variations, including rune mastery, rune magic, etc. came forth to alter the traditional pattern of role playing gaming.
If I recall correctly, D&D was the first pen-and-paper game to introduce the use of Runes, but it appears to plague all over the fantasy games lately.

Runescape, Runes of Magic, Leage of Legends, Diablo and more are introducing this fashion.

I am not sure if they add up anything innovative to the gaming experience or allow higher flexibility and randomness between the players, but they seem to be a good way to go.

What's your opinion? Do they indeed deserve to introduce a new school of magic in the gaming stage or does it look like another ambition of the gaming industry?

 

[Kino]

By Runes are you reffering to a particular gameplay system? or are you reffering to Runes as an aesthetic lore thing?

 

[WherewolfTherewolf]

Runes are what the game designers make of them - without any sort of specific reference it's just a name pertaining to magic symbols.

 

[Pharaoh_]

Runescape, Runes of Magic, Leage of Legends, Diablo and more are introducing this fashion.

I obviously speak of the gameplay, since your closest experience to Diablo is involving them gameplay-wise, by attaching them on items. Of course they will also enhance the lore of the game, since their introduction should be explained, as to why they match with the game's world.

 

[Tyranid]

As far as I've seen, runes have always had a place in fantasy games. Hell in Gothic 2 all magic was done with runes.

 

[Super-Sheep]

So what?

They work.

 

[wereguy2]

D&D has "runes"..?

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

D&D has "runes"..?

Seconded. Maybe it does, but I don't remember seeing them (particularly often) in core rules or Baldur's Gate... I think 4th edition handbook 2 or 3 might have a runepriest class, can't remember and can't be bothered standing up to look.

 

[wereguy2]

Runes as in glyphs and symbols would make sense, but not as a magic system...

 

[Chizume]

I think they're simply giving players the ability to customize more. Another (cool) way to bring more variation into gameplay. I do like the role runes play in League of Legends, and Diablo.