>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Far be it for me to judge, but isn't this the point of reading the book
>ahead of time?
Yes, it is. But if we didn't *have* to spend a night learning the rules, we
would be able to enjoy the game. That was the point of the discussion.
>It's been my impression that you need ONE person, namely the GM, to
>understand the totality of the rules - the players then learn via the
>character creation process and through play, with rules coming of age when
>you need them.
Me too. But, even working on that assumption, one default rules set makes
it easier for a GM to run a different game.
>To which I would have to say: exactly how stellar would your game have
>been?
>Throwing characters together is one thing - but will the flavor of the game
>be captured? Would it have been a good game? If the d20 movement is all
>about insta-gaming taking over investing time and patience into the process
>of gaming, then count me out.
OK, different tangent: I don't think that "complex, patient, and long"
character creation is a good thing. The *best* characters I have ever seen
have been simple characters who grew and were fleshed out *in* game. I
believe that rule systems that *require* you to define the totality of your
character beforehand are, simply, wrong.
All I need are the basic rules, and then I should go. I shouldn't *have* to
agonize for hours trying to get the "perfect" rules expression for my
character--and if I do (like, say, for converting a character to a new
system), simple and familiar rules just make that easier.
> > Now, I'm sure Deadlands is a great game--but because of the barrier to
> > entry, I don't play it. (I'll probably pick up d20 Deadlands when it
> > finally comes out, and I'll probably enjoy it.)
>
>If quality time is becoming a barrier to playing games, then I think that
>the whole hobby is in for some problems.
? Ok, now you've lost me, Kuma.
Gaming *is* quality time... but "preparing to game" isn't. I don't know a
*single person* who *prefers* learning new rules to actually playing them.
The barrier to playing games is the same as it has been since games were
invented--first, you need to know the rules.
DM
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