DnDWorlds

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You and your friends have gathered around the table (or virtual table, which today may be the only way some of us get to keep gaming with our friends) and begin to weave a story. Together you each add parts to what is happening. Each piece continues adding drama, excitement, and fun that you’ll all share for years to come. But quite honestly, none of that needs a game to happen. We can sit around and watch TV, or make wise cracks at movies, or really anything social. Honestly, no dice, or rules are needed to take turns telling a story about fighting dragons, plundering castles and saving fair maidens (or buff cabana boys depending on your personal tastes). So why use a game at all? Because deep inside we all acknowledge that we don’t want to know the outcome. We want to wonder “Will they make it?” “Will they slay the dragon, or will they fall pray to his trap in the door?” And thus is the nature of the game. The rules are there, by design, to prevent things from happening, either completely (no you can’t say you jumped 100 feet down a well and live), or by limiting who can do something (only fighters can wear Plate Mail). Sure, sometimes it’s worded in a way that sounds like it’s ‘granting’ you something; feats, skills and spells, etc. But really, these are just providing work arounds to other rules already written. So, gaming requires some rules, but not so many that it actually becomes burdensome to the original intent: Telling a fantastic story with friends. What’s the threshold of good rule design? Rule one of design is something I’ve seen mentioned in video and board games for years, but never seemingly applied to RPG’s. - Games should be easy to learn, and difficult to master. – Burn that in your memory some where. People should be able to sit down and start playing a game quickly, and still have fun. But it should take a lot of practice and exploration to really find all the little bits and pieces that let them master the game. Which brings me back to the main point. Rules, ultimately, are about setting limitations on our imagination. They form an artificial hurdle keeping new players from feeling comfortable in the game, and ultimately inhibit the ‘fun’ of the game. Without them, there would be no game, but add where called for to keep consistency within the game, and when an outcome falls beyond a simple yes or no.