From: lmollett@lunatix.uucp (Laura Mollett)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: META: Game Mechanics vs. Background
Date: 22 Dec 92 21:30:19 GMT
Organization: Lexington Public Access Unix. -KY- (606) 255-9121

In article <1992Dec21.232019.14670@oz.plymouth.edu> sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan) writes:
>Hmmm - I've had some interesting conversations with folks lately about
>what sells in an RPG, and why.  What do you look for when you buy RPG
>material?  Good game mechanics or good world background?
>
>Apparently, judging from e-mail I've gotten lately, I'm in the
>minority:  I think game mechanics are of prime importance in a game I
>buy, and background secondary.  Before you flame too hard. let me
>clarify my stance: I think background is of *vital* importance when I
>*play* a game.  I just don't look for it in game books.  I'm quite
>comfortable translating either my own ideas or a favorite fictional
>world to whatever game mechanics I use.
>
Hello,
	Used to be that I didn't think game mechanics were important at all.
IMO, they're not really.  A good GM can create a wonderful game with _any_
mechanics.  I've run in some wonderful *d&d games (tho I really hate the
system) and the best game I ever played in was run in Hero system where
_none_ of the players knew anything about the system.  We never noticed the
rules at all.  They were sheer background, and all we had to do was
role-play.
	On the other hand, shortly after that _I_ attempted to run a game
in Hero.  I discovered several things.  To run a good game in a system, the
GM has to understand it really well.  I don't understand Hero very well.
And also the GM needs to have some sort of basic affinity with the system.
I'm not "mathematically" inclined, and Hero requires something that just
doesn't come easily to me.  When the other GM ran it, the rules just sorta
faded into the background.  He wrote up the PC's for us (after we told him
what we wanted them to be able to do etc.) and all we had to do was background.
And he did all the major bookkeeping, kept up with the combat skills and
knew what numbers we needed to roll etc., etc.  All we had to do was
role-play and it worked really well.  For him.  When I ran, the whole party
had a tendancy to refer to rulebooks a lot.  I didn't know the rules well
enough.  And for me there were _too_ many different ways to do things...
different ways to write up the powers I wanted etc. etc.  The rules got in
the way of role-playing.
	Soooo...the upshot of all this is, I went looking for a game with
the right kind of game mechanics.  Those that _I_ understand easily and have
a basic affinity for.  At the moment, I'm translating the game over to GURPS.
The two are so similar that translation seems like it's gonna be really
easy.  I really, really like the idea of generic systems - our group is
inclined to play many different kinds of games, or to play characters that
cross genres and we need something that'll let us do anything we want.
Also I don't like rules (I'm probably in the minority there :) and I don't
wanna learn a new system for every genre or game I want to play.  So I need
a generic set.  (This isn't a "GURPS is better than Hero post, btw.  I loved
Hero.  As a player.  Enough to attempt my own game in it.  It's just that
the rulesystem doesn't suit the way my mind works.  I'd happily play in it
again.  But I won't GM it again :)
	So I looked for a game, considering primarily mechanics.  Of course,
all those wonderful suppliments don't hurt a bit <grin>.  I like well-supported
games.  Then, there are all those other games that I own, that I (probably)
will never play.  I bought them *specifically* for the great worlds and
backgrounds and such.  I like vampire.  I steal ideas from it.  and Amber.
Oh, and Call of C'thulhu suppliments - there probably isn't a company that
makes better suppliments for their game, and our group uses them all the time.
But I've never played in a CoC game with their mechanics.
	Also, (hopefully) if GURPS works out well, I probably won't ever
change mechanics again.  So everything I buy will be strictly for background.
So, I'd say that there is a little of both when I look at games, but that
background is of primary importance, and mechanics would only count if GURPS
doesn't work well, or another "generic" game shows up that is really
innovative and seems useful.
	And for GM's, I'm of the definite "to each his own" opinion.  I'll
_play_ with any mechanics.  As a player, the mechanics don't matter at all.
If the GM is happy with them, then it'll likely be a good game.
				Laura Mollett
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.board