From: Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca (Nick Janow)
Subject: Re: META: Game Mechanics vs. Background
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 08:34:07 GMT

sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan) writes:

> What do you look for when you buy RPG material?  Good game mechanics or
> good world background?

The two are often closely interrelated.  A framework of elegant--but
basic--rules can be used with many backgrounds, but they won't allow the same
level of detail as a system optimized for a certain gaming style and
background.  I don't believe that you can have one elegant system that works
well for both "realistic" gaming and "heroic superhero" gaming.  The former
style requires detailed combat rules, and combat can take several minutes.
For the latter, anything beyond a simple, fast combat system would bog down
the game.

What I look for is a product that supports a particular gaming style.  For
"realistic SF gaming", this requires a rule system optimized for that style.
If I like the background material as well, all the better.  It's likely that
the background will be suitable, since it was the basis for the rules, and
the playtesting.

> When I buy a game, I'm looking for clean, smooth-playing, simple,
> comprehensive game mechanics that aren't obtrusive into the game setting.
> This is very important to me, so whatever setting I'm using works.

I see a hidden qualifier there: you are assuming a limited scope of game
settings.  Have you found a system that supports "realistic SF gaming" as
well as "heroic superheroes", and "gritty cyberpunk", and "romantic fantasy",
and whatever other genres that are being played by gamers?

> I don't need or even like to be spoon-fed a gaming world with every little
> detail filled in.

Isn't it nice that the gaming market offers a selection of games?  Some
consist of rules without much background material.  Others offer high quality
detailed background material.  Some gamers use rule systems for backgrounds
other than the one offered with the rules, and others use background material
with rules other than the ones intended.

I've been helping develop a SF rpg (Legacy, by Discordian Games) which is
intended to support "realistic SF gaming".  It has elegant rules and a
detailed background.  One of the main considerations in its design was
consistency: the background is a projection of present trends in technology,
society, etc, and hopefully doesn't have any self-contradictions.

Those of us involved in Legacy's design liked SF, but were dissatisfied with
the existing games.  Most of the SF rpgs seemed to be based on a few "SF-ish
ideas", such as blasters or space pirates, with very little to hold the ideas
together.  They're like a Hollywood movie set, where things are flashy, but
have no depth.  Those games fail when the characters try to do anything other
than the few "nifty SF ideas" that the developers based the game on.  Can the
Star Wars rpg support a "scientific exploration" campaign or "running a
business" campaign, in which there is no combat?

When I started helping with Legacy, I didn't think that a good SF rpg was
possible; it was simply too difficult to project technology, society, etc,
very far into the future without running into to many self-contradictions,
such as energy sources used for hand weapons, yet not used for powering
vehicles, machinery, etc.  If you add "desktop manufacturing", how will that
affect employment, education, the economy, the viability of transportation
companies, etc?  Eliminating these contradictions requires a lot of work, and
at least a few designers, to catch the mistakes that one person didn't see.
Developing for a particular background helped make decisions about details,
and helped find flaws.  However, the rules are not dependent on the
background (they will later be used for a fantasy background).

Of course, if you like creating a new background and additions to the basic
rules for each campaign, and can provide sufficient detail (and lack of
contradictions and flaws that the players will see), then I suppose all you
need is a set of very basic rules.  Maybe all you need is one rule: "Use a
random number generation method to assist in making decisions."  :)


ps.  For those of you who have been waiting so patiently, Legacy is finally
available via mail-order.  I've just posted the information in
rec.gam.frp.announce, so it should appear there soon.

--

Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca
Xref: sparky rec.games.frp.misc:10336 nj.general:891