This should be filed under the heading 'Duh', but sometimes such things are worth highlighting for a moment or two.
Over the years one of the things I keep hearing people say in various forums and blogs is that the game system doesn't matter. Back when I first heard that, it struck me as impossible given that the rules of a game are... well very important to the course of what happens in a game. So the question was why were people claiming such a thing?
It didn't take long to figure out the answer if the people involved ever described one of their sessions in any significant detail or if you happen to be watching. They flatly just didn't use the rules. And when you're not using them, of course they don't matter.
D&D AC, to hit rolls and HP points? Useless when a GM allows a PC to pop the head off a villain with a simple STR check. Rules for vehicle armor and damage? Forgotten when a GM simply allows the PC to fire a round through a grate or a vision slot to inflict immediate destruction.
And so it goes.
All these have one thing in common however, they always and I can't recall a single exception- make things *easier* for the players. Following the rules is difficult you see, and might get in the way of the player's goals. Just making stuff up on the other hand is call 'creative' , when in fact it's just a cheap and very likely a stupid way of avoiding any negative possiblities in a rpg.
All nice and well if self-serving and more than a bit childish, after all one of the measures of becoming an adult used to be learning to follow the rules, to show sportsmanship while doing so, and to earn your victories while admitting your losses. Used to be, those days seem gone and I find it unlikely they'll ever return.
This explains why such horrible rules as D&D (any version, any company) and the 40K rpgs sell. None of the buyers ever used the rules enough to figure out that they suck.
The only question that remains is why people who are very willing to ignore the rules and decide outcomes based upon the most flimsy of player excuses- buy and 'play' games with a significant amount of rules in the first place? There is no possible answer that doesn't reflect poorly upon the people in question.
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2 comments:
Great article!
I agree with the sentiment here. I would go further to say that good game requires setting and system to mesh beautifully together.
The problem I have with many generic systems is that when they are applied to a setting, they don't necessarily fit. The system is a system of predictable logic for the players to bend - for fun! The system should feel like the setting. Was it the early Deadlands that used cards and poker chips? I remember that as being very appropriate. Also, the original Star Wars D6 felt wonderful when you cupped handfuls of D6s to do something extraordinary.
I've also found that systems that don't fit can be a real problem. I've recently been chatting on 1KM1KT about one (as yet unreleased) RPG that has just that problem.
Great article. This is part of the reason I created the Fyxt RPG. https://fyxtrpg.com/
I wanted one set of static rules that made sense, were easy to run, and didn't fall pray to the subjective whims of PCs or GMs. Also I wanted one system I could play ANY story it. Knights, Starfighters, Mechs, Gunslingers... whatever we wanted. So Fyxt was born.
At the core the rules are numbers, plain and simple. Numbers adjudicate the game without being convoluted by descriptions, circumstance, race, or class.
The roleplay is simply that, roleplay. Flavor for fun but doesn't change the rules or numbers.
Rules: 3x3 Squares 10 spaces away take 5d6 damage.
RP: A fireball explodes. An ice storm appears. Gas fills the area. (Really anything the player wants.)
One does not influence the other.
You are right though, I think players just don't know how weird rulesets are until they really actively compare them.
Check out the Fyxt RPG if you get a chance. It is a ton of fun!
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