07-20-2016, 01:59 PM | #11 | |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Re: experience with rules-light/rules-free rpgs?
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I think you're actually describing something different from rules complexity which is character identification. If the game is strictly about creating a story (e.g., Microscope) and there isn't strong identification between players and characters, then it's entirely reasonable for players to control any character in play, or create new ones on the fly. But if being someone else is a significant element of the game, then being dumped out of that by someone else claiming to control the character is reasonable. Most players of strong-identification games will take suggestions about things they haven't thought of, or things they might do. But these are suggestions, made in out-of-character speech, and the player gets to decide if they want to use them. It's just much easier that way. I know a GM who is fond of telling his players "your character realises that..." which is OK if that is a plausible thing for them to realise. But there's one character whose personality that GM fundamentally misunderstands, and thus keeps telling the player that they've realised things the character would never think of, which causes pointless friction. The GM would be far better off describing his world more clearly, so that the players could work things out for themselves more readily.
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07-20-2016, 05:14 PM | #12 | |
Join Date: Jul 2007
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Re: experience with rules-light/rules-free rpgs?
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07-25-2016, 04:46 PM | #13 | |
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Alsea, OR
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Re: experience with rules-light/rules-free rpgs?
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Fate Core can be presented easily in half the pages... but the 70 pages present it a fairly readable mode. But they aren't A4/Letter, either. Somewhere between A5 and B5, each... so about 35 letter sized, and it can be dropped to about 20 by less precise writing, less art, and shorter examples. Everything a player needs to know for Fate Core can be synopsized in 2 Letter/A4 pages in about 10 point helvetica. Most settings need about 2-3 pages more of synopsis. |
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07-26-2016, 02:27 AM | #14 |
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: near London, UK
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Re: experience with rules-light/rules-free rpgs?
And I can explain all a player needs to know to play GURPS in the same space. That doesn't mean GURPS is a rules-light system by modern standards.
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07-27-2016, 04:02 AM | #15 | |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: near Houston
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Re: experience with rules-light/rules-free rpgs?
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Classic Traveller, if one only used Books 1-3, was not rules heavy, although one had to do a lot of dice rolling. Fudge can be pretty rules light, more so than fate. BESM was also rules light. Tri-Stat dX made things a bit too complicated to be "light". Talislanta fits in there too, at least for 1e and 2e. Oh, and although I know some people don't consider it a role-playing system, but TWERPS was pretty simple.
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A generous and sadistic GM, Brandon Cope GURPS 3e stuff: http://copeab.tripod.com |
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07-29-2016, 10:26 AM | #16 | |
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Alsea, OR
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Re: experience with rules-light/rules-free rpgs?
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07-29-2016, 10:48 AM | #17 | |
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Alsea, OR
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Re: experience with rules-light/rules-free rpgs?
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Fate Core is VERY straightforward. But then it goes and says everything in the way the military teaches: Synopsis, careful statement, restate for clarity, and usually includes fully worked examples. The Fate Basics pamphlet, which fits on a letter-sized trifold, is a fully playable implementation of Fate, in 12 point type, including character generation. |
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07-29-2016, 11:40 AM | #18 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: near Houston
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Re: experience with rules-light/rules-free rpgs?
Not as straightforward as Fudge ;)
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A generous and sadistic GM, Brandon Cope GURPS 3e stuff: http://copeab.tripod.com |
07-29-2016, 12:41 PM | #19 |
Join Date: Feb 2009
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Re: experience with rules-light/rules-free rpgs?
I at one point was obsessed with rules light and really really wanted to design the perfect one
I really felt 'complex systems' slowed gameplay to much, and wanted to be able to play 'briskly' Briskly more or less defined as frenetic video game levels of violence admittedly, but basically I wanted to fit LOTS of fights into a session! Also played RISUS, Everway, D6 Star Wars and BESM, also ODnD I've wanted to play Pokethulhu An example of my goals during my rules light kick was the name I gave for one of my (actually playable) home brews - VFGS, short for Violent Fast Gunfight System |
07-29-2016, 01:56 PM | #20 | |
Hero of Democracy
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
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Re: experience with rules-light/rules-free rpgs?
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Be helpful, not pedantic Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one! |
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