Should a TTRPG have a singular Core Rulebook or more?

[Eyes of Nine]

I am confused - why is "infinite play" the only type of play being considered for "should a ttrpg have an X rulebook"?

Again, coming back to bill91's point - Damn the Man Save the Music is best as a one shot. Microscope is best as a one shot. Those games (and oh so many others) do not need multiple books. And even if some game group decided they wanted to run a 40-session campaign of the same game of Microscope, they probably wouldn't need another book.

Similarly, you could say FATE Accelerated is a complete game in a single relatively small book. But even for a one-shot, I'd could see wanting to use at least one other source for stunts (maybe)

 

[Thomas Shey]

Not only do I think that the vast majority of RPGs could be presented for infinite play in one book, I think most of those could be presented ina book of less than 100 pages.

You lose me there, but then I suspect my desire for mechanical heft may exceed yours. I'm not actually sure there's anything I've bothered to play in the last two decades I believe that would have been true of.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I am confused - why is "infinite play" the only type of play being considered for "should a ttrpg have an X rulebook"?

Well, I can see two answers to that: first, for at least some of the participants, its the only type of play they care about, second, if it isn't at least included, the answer is at best, incomplete (you can, of course, argue if its the only one included, its also incomplete).

 

[Reynard]

You lose me there, but then I suspect my desire for mechanical heft may exceed yours. I'm not actually sure there's anything I've bothered to play in the last two decades I believe that would have been true of.

I generally prefer toolkit games. I can play SWADE forever because it is a toolkit: it tells you how to use the things in the book and make up stuff not in the book. Hero, too. I don't need (or especially want) 300 pages of monsters. i want 10 pages of clear, concise, cool rules for making my own monsters. The same for powers, classes, adventures, spells, whatever.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Well, I can see two answers to that: first, for at least some of the participants, its the only type of play they care about, second, if it isn't at least included, the answer is at best, incomplete (you can, of course, argue if its the only one included, its also incomplete).

Huh

By not explicitly excluding that type of play, I guess it felt like to me the question encompassed that type of play

But I suppose people may feel like if it's not explicitly included, then it's excluded. I don't think that's logical, but it does feel like a human reaction

 

[Thomas Shey]

I generally prefer toolkit games. I can play SWADE forever because it is a toolkit: it tells you how to use the things in the book and make up stuff not in the book. Hero, too. I don't need (or especially want) 300 pages of monsters. i want 10 pages of clear, concise, cool rules for making my own monsters. The same for powers, classes, adventures, spells, whatever.

To some extent, so do I, but I tend to want a bigger bag of tools. SWADE is right at the bottom end of what I want, and I should note its about twice the page count you indicated.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Huh

By not explicitly excluding that type of play, I guess it felt like to me the question encompassed that type of play

But I suppose people may feel like if it's not explicitly included, then it's excluded. I don't think that's logical, but it does feel like a human reaction

I might not have been entirely clear in what I was expressing; I was more suggesting that to some people if the minimum size listed doesn't include the top end, it isn't relevant. Once mixed with my first suggestion, I think its easy to see why they're ignoring the lower end suggestions.

 

[Reynard]

To some extent, so do I, but I tend to want a bigger bag of tools. SWADE is right at the bottom end of what I want, and I should note its about twice the page count you indicated.

I think SWADE as written could fit in a 100 page full sized pages, but that's quibbling. My point is that more pages don't make a game better for long term play, and fewer don't make it worse. People like reams and reams of support material but it is unnecessary if you give people the tools in the system itself to make their own content.

 

[Wolfpack48]

The RQ3 deluxe boxed set I always thought was a nice size for the game books. Players book is 84 pages, Magic Book at 58, Gamemaster at 46 (best essay on refereeing I have read), Creatures at 46, Glorantha at 30. The Players and Magic books got the most use. The pamphlet style was actually pretty handy, but in the end they combined all into a single 280 page book. Still, only a fraction of those pages were referenced regularly. It did feel like the best balance I have seen between rules and evoking the feel of the game. Great writing helped (Steve Perrin).

 

[Thomas Shey]

I think SWADE as written could fit in a 100 page full sized pages, but that's quibbling. My point is that more pages don't make a game better for long term play, and fewer don't make it worse. People like reams and reams of support material but it is unnecessary if you give people the tools in the system itself to make their own content.

Sure the question is what "the tools" constitute. I suspect we'd not agree on that.