Are you going to ride the Story Horse or the Game Horse?
Category: assumption busters
“Realism”
There is a claim that it is silly to appeal to realism in a fantasy role-playing game where there are elves and dragons. I disagree. Designers who say "realism" in games is garbage don't actually believe that. Every role-playing game has some degree of "realism" that varies depending on the game and what the experience the players of that game want to have.
We Actually Prefer Older Editions.
"The majority of people playing AD&D/OD&D/Basic D&D are playing those editions for the nostalgia." In spite of numerous blog posts, social media posts, podcast episodes and interpretive dances declaring that we do in fact, actually prefer older editions of the "worlds greatest roleplaying game," the falsehood persists. I've heard it for at least a decade …
Is Lethality Old School?
Not entirely. There is a perception that Old School = Maximum Lethality. Yet, in the recollections of Dave Arneson's Blackmoor players, it was relatively rare for a character to die. I've cued the video to the appropriate place. I do recommend watching the full clip. https://youtu.be/By9P8CZdtlQ?t=533
Another Data Point
I hold the position that role-playing games are games that people can tell stories about after the fact and games that use stories and story-like elements to create an immersive gaming experience. RPG's are not stories unto themselves. Question: How many novels have been published based on someones actual homemade gaming campaign? Not many. The …
I Hate Fluff
The concept of "fluff" as it is applied to TTRPG's is one of those unspoken premises that gets tossed around without any conversation. I don't use the term because I reject the premise. The premise being that the "crunch" is where the game is at. The "fluff" is there to provide context or thematic elements …
Grumpy Wizard 