System Purpose

Hey Hey!

There has been a great deal of discussion, both internal and with colleagues of late, about the use of RPG systems.  What I mean is that there is a point where trying to adapt a system into something else becomes less than advantageous.  Is it possible to take a system intended for one thing, say Fantasy, and convert it far enough to portray a Comic-Book feel without 'breaking' the game.

I worry about this a lot.  You see, my own projects generally seem to be open-ended multi-genre based games.  It isn't that I don't want to work on just a single project/system, but as you all probably know I am obsessed with multiple ideas... Fantasy, supers, sci-fi, you name it I have ideas for it.

My current project involves adapting the BareBones Fantasy engine into a supers-system.  It has been fun and frustrating at the same time.  There are many aspects of BBF, and it's modern counterpart Covert Ops, that I really like, but I am afraid of changing it too much and losing the engines basic flavor.  I can't help but fear that is the case.

I have worked on a couple of adaptations to systems I like that take the basics too far.  The most notable ones would by my G-Core Sci-Fi/Supers, and the Monsters and Magic sci-fi/post-apoc.  I really like where both are going but they are quite a large departure from the most basic features of the game.

Is it wrong to change the fundamentals of a game?  Where does one lose the basic flavor and style of a system?

Interesting questions I think....  What are your thoughts on such a subject?