I'll delurk and agree with several of the previous posters that no
rules set can completely set the atmosphere of a 'good' game.
First, the designers will often build a system to a desired style -
i.e. the early D&D 'balanced player' style where every race/class set
was handicapped to keep them roughly equal. Pretty expected as the
designers (Gygax & Arneson) were war gamers (rules lawyers) par
excellence. They played games where units had comparable strengths or
could be stacked together (party of players) to take on just about
anything. Anything beyond combat was ad hocked by the GM until folks
started producing supplemental material for when you were not in a
dungeon or fighting in the deep woods. (I'll stay out of the influence
of Tekumal/EPT for the moment).
So a subset of players wanted more, and GM's provided. Good GM's got
lots of players, folks without the time or imagination made do with
printed modules. Superb GM's like DAH evolved who could grip your
imagination in ways simple combat and repeatable characters never
could. Carded items, weird spells and magic items all added to the
feeling you were somewhere else. And that's part of the crux, how can
a game industry scale to provide awesome flights of fancy that can be
GM'd by average or young GM's? Part of the magic of Arduin was Dave's
wide ranging experience and reading habits. He could pull out amazing
stuff and you might not know if he made it up or recycled it from an
old pulp novel. (Great source, BTW)
So to my view the feats and power up's of the latest systems is just
an effort to provide game crutches to folks who are not comfortable
making it up as you go along. As mentioned elsewhere - if I don't like
a rule I scrap or modify it. Don't like the way something works in my
world(s) - there's the door, have a nice day somewhere else.
Second, any GM worth his or her salt SHOULD be able to make it up as
they go along. So what if results vary a bit as long as the story
'look and feel' is consistent. Good story telling is what the skill is
about. I've run multiplayer adventures driving up I-5 using arbitrary
number ranges and having the players generate a number. We had a
blast. Whatever rule system we use to help others visualize the worlds
of imagination is just a tool. So use bits from old games (TFT, T&T,
Morrow Project, whatever...) as Dave surely borrowed his bits or made
new ones.
I'll submit that an Arduin GM can run a recognizably Arduin style
world even if you're not using any of the AG systems or the country of
Arduin itself. There's plenty of other corners of the Multiverse that
are just as twisted and deadly as Arduin.
Do some research, there are tons of interesting factoids to twist. For
example reading about super caves has made my Under Dark regions a lot
more difficult for characters. Those deep caverns are really a tough
area.
http://failuremag.com/index.php/site/print/to_the_supercave/
I didn't think to use the effects of cold and damp or the ever present
darkness itself as something to be overcome. Or in some regions the
opposite effect like the gypsum caverns in Mexico.
http://giantcrystals.strahlen.org/america/naica.htm
So think about your own games. Are you challenging your players to
think? Do you get feedback that you really had them worried? Do even
the powerful characters with artifact weapons realize there's bigger
fish in the pond? Note I'm not talking power ranges or maximum
character skills/feats/abilities. IMHO that's all window dressing.
I've been mugged by beggars in Arduin. We didn't think, reacted like
the D&D influenced Noobs we were then and were taken down, hard. Never
kill a licensed beggar in Talismonde! It's a really bad idea...
IMHO Dave didn't care how powerful your character might be 'right
then' or your exact power structure. The Arduin experience included
being challenged to think to survive and thrive. He could always whip
up a bigger monster with special powers if needed, but seldom did.
That's because he played what he already had intelligently and
realistically. If Dave were alive we'd be on Arduin IX or so as he was
always tinkering to get a better 'feel'. But no matter the current
system, you'd still know you'd been in Arduin....