Brett's Blog The Truth about Game Systems Jun 08, 2010 | 12:41 pm Every now and then I see a new game released with claims of it being revolutionary or the most realistic available, or other such nonsense. I generally avoid stuff like this for these claims are totally subjective. The root of good gaming is not the rules, but the players. Immersing oneself into his character's role is what roleplaying is all about, not some gimmicky rule or absolute realism in the rules (which is impossible anyway). I've said it before and I'll say it again: rules are only guidelines. The roles within the story are more important. Use the rules to quantify a character's capabilities and determine questionable outcomes, but otherwise leave it at the door. Plot, mystery, denouement, backstories, subplots, player imagination -- these add excitement, while the rules either contain or expand that excitement. Add a gimmicky element to the rules that brings something new to the table like using a roulette wheel (where the hell am I going to get one of those?). OK, now we have a substitute for dice. Spin the wheel and hope for the best. Hmmm.... something new but still the same function as dice. That's the gimmick. Once you realize that the gimmick is dispensable and will bore you as much as dice after a while, what's left? Can the rest of the game survive on its own? Sure -- if you've got enthusiastic players who throw themselves into their roles and a director/GM who can tell a good story and maintain a certain level of excitement throughout. Put simply, claims of how good a system is don't really sway me. Novel gimmicks are only good while they remain fresh. In truth, you don't really need any system, though the ones that disappear in the background are what I prefer because the story takes focus as opposed to knowing how to use or abuse the rules. Notice I said "prefer," not best. Rules systems are subjective. Everyone has his own preferences, so a person could like one system that others don't or vice versa. Some people will tell you that system matters. That may be true if you are relying on the rules to run the game exclusively, but a group of zombies may as well be playing. Players matter. Don't be a slave to the rules -- make them work for you. Once you let the rules tell you what to do or how to do it, you are no longer participating in a roleplaying game. It may be a game, but it's not roleplaying since you are no longer controlling your characters' actions but letting the rules control them instead. 6 Comments | Add Comment | Permanent Link | Return to Overview trekfanatic Commented: Jun 08, 2010 | 10:37 pm An excellent point. The opposite is also true- that a rotten game system can still be a fun game with the right GM and players. I always remember playing 1st edition Shadowrun when I say that. That system was ghastly, but my GM was amazing, so I loved it. Brett Commented: Jun 08, 2010 | 11:09 pm Too true. :) Brilar Commented: Jun 11, 2010 | 1:06 pm Brett, You hit it right on the head. Some people like an all encompassing set of rules that cover every conceivable situation, and some don't I myself prefer as rules lite as possible. I don't believe there is a one size fits all system. The best one can do is find one that's right for themselves and their players. For me, after running Ancient Odysseys it has become very hard to play any other fantasy game. Case in point, I recently received the new Warhammer 3rd edition RPG, as a gift, and have ran a couple of games with it. Being a new "innovative" rpg design, the game in theory has many new "role playing enhancing features". In actual use though, the game feels bogged down with many unnecessary rules. Roleplaying has been at a minimum, and the game has deteriorated into what rule governs this, or which card do I use for that. Not much fun. My group, and I have decided to go back to AO. The rules for AO completely disappear behind the story, and it is a dream to run. After nearly 30 years of roleplaying I finally found the fantasy system that's right for me. :D Brett Commented: Jun 11, 2010 | 1:10 pm That's awesome! Thanks Brilar. I feel your pain about Warhammer 3E. I've been enamored with new games because they promise a very special way of handling things, only to find out that it's either nothing new and seriously hampers play by either taking away my control or making things way too complicated. trekfanatic Commented: Jun 12, 2010 | 6:09 am I'm sorry to hear that about WH3, but I was afraid that'd be the case. WH3 is another silly constant of gaming: fixing what's not broken. WH1 is such a great game that I bought it in middle school and still run it. All it ever needed was a few touches here and there. WH3 is serious overkill! Brett Commented: Jun 13, 2010 | 3:38 pm I always thought that Warhammer was too complex (the RPG) and with too many stats. Add Comment