Today.
I am tired today! I had profoundly uncomfortable dreams. I don't think anything incredibly bad happened, like grizzled prospectors stabbing me, but there was this constant feeling of imminent doom. It was not especially restful. I haven't been sleeping all that well. It was super disturbing when a cat woke me up by scratching at the door - I think, in the dream, there were massive things moving behind the walls, just out of sight. Creepy stuff.
So today, I have been dragging. Ugh.
Aside: what makes an RPG?
The D&D and Pathfinder fans and writers say it is the rules. They think this so strongly that the wrong rules can make a game, "not D&D anymore".
The White Wolf fans and writers say it is the story. And to drive this home, there are pages and pages of story baked into each one of their books. It's meant to lead by example, I guess. Accordingly, if you strip out some of the old story - no matter how dumb it was - you will lose some of the fanbase.
A lot of the indy players and writers say it's about the story and the shared experience of the thing. The rules play a part but they are to facilitate. The story is important, but what you and your friends are coming up with is more important than pages and pages of backstory.
The way I'm setting this up makes it clear what I like the best. At the same time, I also think it's important not to get fixated on just one game or just one style. This is part of the problem for grognards, who only like D&D and want everything to reflect their idealized nostalgic D&D, too.
So today, I have been dragging. Ugh.
Aside: what makes an RPG?
The D&D and Pathfinder fans and writers say it is the rules. They think this so strongly that the wrong rules can make a game, "not D&D anymore".
The White Wolf fans and writers say it is the story. And to drive this home, there are pages and pages of story baked into each one of their books. It's meant to lead by example, I guess. Accordingly, if you strip out some of the old story - no matter how dumb it was - you will lose some of the fanbase.
A lot of the indy players and writers say it's about the story and the shared experience of the thing. The rules play a part but they are to facilitate. The story is important, but what you and your friends are coming up with is more important than pages and pages of backstory.
The way I'm setting this up makes it clear what I like the best. At the same time, I also think it's important not to get fixated on just one game or just one style. This is part of the problem for grognards, who only like D&D and want everything to reflect their idealized nostalgic D&D, too.