I roll twenties

Hey,

So I'm trying to refine the mechanics of my game. This means that I'm playing out a lot of potential scenarios. And I'm not using any of my system's bells and whistles, I'm just trying to see how well basic conflicts work when evenly-matched opponents go at it.

And I'm working my way through the process and I sit back and go: "this is terrible. This isn't any fun at all." Then I'm sour and bitter about the whole thing.

But then I realize that in RPGs, the resolution mechanics aren't entertaining in and of themselves, it's the act of play itself that's actually the fun part. This doesn't mean that mechanics can't be fun, but they're not the reason why anyone plays. Despite the name, you don't get together to play a d20 based game because you're hot to roll a polyhedron. You get together to roleplay based on what those polyhedrons say your guy did or didn't do. I don't play Nobilis to spend Miracle Points, I play because of what those Miracle Points say I can do. And so on and so forth.

I do think there are fun mechanics, but to me, those mechanics are generally ones that help push the roleplaying experience. Taglines in Men In Black and Dying Earth are big fun examples. Confessionals in InSpectres are good. The ritualized phrases of negotiation in Polaris are fun because they reinforce the epic grandeur of the game.

Still, that's my opinion and I don't know if such "roleplay" mechanics can carry the entire game (although I think Polaris comes close). While they are fun, they certainly aren't the end-all, be-all reason to play the game. All of these mechanics, without the imaginative framework that support them, would be a complete waste of time to play on their own.

This doesn't necessarily argue in favor of rules simplicity or complexity. A smaller, simpler ruleset plays much faster than a larger, more complex one and lets players focus on the play. On the other hand, a larger, more complex ruleset (when properly designed) can offer intriguing options and pathways for play to evolve.

None of this let's me off the hook of doing a lot of boring work on the system though. But it does make me feel a little bit better about not trying to over-engineer this thing too much. Sure, it seems really boring and un-fun, but the die rolling a spur to fun, not the end-product.

later
Tom

I roll twenties

Hey,

So I'm trying to refine the mechanics of my game. This means that I'm playing out a lot of potential scenarios. And I'm not using any of my system's bells and whistles, I'm just trying to see how well basic conflicts work when evenly-matched opponents go at it.

And I'm working my way through the process and I sit back and go: "this is terrible. This isn't any fun at all." Then I'm sour and bitter about the whole thing.

But then I realize that in RPGs, the resolution mechanics aren't entertaining in and of themselves, it's the act of play itself that's actually the fun part. This doesn't mean that mechanics can't be fun, but they're not the reason why anyone plays. Despite the name, you don't get together to play a d20 based game because you're hot to roll a polyhedron. You get together to roleplay based on what those polyhedrons say your guy did or didn't do. I don't play Nobilis to spend Miracle Points, I play because of what those Miracle Points say I can do. And so on and so forth.

I do think there are fun mechanics, but to me, those mechanics are generally ones that help push the roleplaying experience. Taglines in Men In Black and Dying Earth are big fun examples. Confessionals in InSpectres are good. The ritualized phrases of negotiation in Polaris are fun because they reinforce the epic grandeur of the game.

Still, that's my opinion and I don't know if such "roleplay" mechanics can carry the entire game (although I think Polaris comes close). While they are fun, they certainly aren't the end-all, be-all reason to play the game. All of these mechanics, without the imaginative framework that support them, would be a complete waste of time to play on their own.

This doesn't necessarily argue in favor of rules simplicity or complexity. A smaller, simpler ruleset plays much faster than a larger, more complex one and lets players focus on the play. On the other hand, a larger, more complex ruleset (when properly designed) can offer intriguing options and pathways for play to evolve.

None of this let's me off the hook of doing a lot of boring work on the system though. But it does make me feel a little bit better about not trying to over-engineer this thing too much. Sure, it seems really boring and un-fun, but the die rolling a spur to fun, not the end-product.

later
Tom