I'm not much in the habit of promoting other people's blog material. For one, I really don't like the whole echo-chamber effect of certain blog circles - I'll notice on occasion that within a day's time, half the updates to my blog roll will either be the same "OMG Fight On! #3 is out! Roxxorz!" posts, or one person will post something and suddenly there'll be a chain reaction of posts all commenting on each other's reactions to the original post. I'm reminded of the commentary track to an episode of Freaks and Geeks where the guy playing the "D&D nerd" is telling another commentator about how there's a new edition of D&D out, but doesn't want to talk about it because "Anyone who cares already knows, and anyone who doesn't know probably doesn't want to."
However, that having been said, while digging through my blog roll this morning I came across this post over at Monsters and Manuals that really warms the sub-cockle region of my heart (thank you Dennis Leary). Read it now, pretty please.
There you go, that's better. I'm going to go ahead and agree with Noisms 150% on this post. I've heard all the blather about "System Does Matter" from Ron Edwards & Co., and while he's got a point - a good system does make it easier to produce a good game just like a good set of tools makes it easier to build a table - if you misuse the tools you have, it doesn't matter how good they are, what you create will ultimately be flawed.
Old School games, New School games, No School games - played all kinds of 'em, and the one constant I've always found was that if the game was awesome or if the game sucked, it wasn't the system that caused the enjoyment or ruin of the session, it was the players and the GM.
However, that having been said, while digging through my blog roll this morning I came across this post over at Monsters and Manuals that really warms the sub-cockle region of my heart (thank you Dennis Leary). Read it now, pretty please.
There you go, that's better. I'm going to go ahead and agree with Noisms 150% on this post. I've heard all the blather about "System Does Matter" from Ron Edwards & Co., and while he's got a point - a good system does make it easier to produce a good game just like a good set of tools makes it easier to build a table - if you misuse the tools you have, it doesn't matter how good they are, what you create will ultimately be flawed.
Old School games, New School games, No School games - played all kinds of 'em, and the one constant I've always found was that if the game was awesome or if the game sucked, it wasn't the system that caused the enjoyment or ruin of the session, it was the players and the GM.
6 comments:
Amen to that.
The wisest GM advice I ever heard: Say "Yes" or roll the dice!
"Anyone who cares already knows, and anyone who doesn't know probably doesn't want to."
This is one of my favorite quotes of all time, actually. Just in the last month, I think I've told no less than three people about that quote. It always gets a laugh and a knowing nod.
I swear to God I'm going to buy 4e and do something completely awesome with it at some point ... maybe set up its own continent on Thool.
Glad you liked it. Love the quote too.
Nevermind warming, that post ROASTED my subcockle!
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