Benjamin Olson
Hero
It always amazes me when people have decided that basic math (addition and subtraction) is crunchy or complicated. I don't know if it makes me a snob to NOT want to play with people who fear basic math especially when most phones (even older flip phones) have a calculator on them.
Again, maybe it's not fair of me to say or think this but it's a huge pet peeve of mine when people complain about Pathfinder or Champions as crunchy games.
Maybe we should clarify, Is it crunchy because of the number options or is it because of the math?
My aversion to math is not that an RPG has ever thrown a math problem at me that I couldn't easily solve at the game table, it's that:
A) Time spent on math is not time spent on anything in the game that I take enjoyment out of. Whether or not there is a calculator on my phone, at the point where somebody gets a calculator out we are no longer playing a game, we are doing accounting. To me the optimal level of math for a game is the amount where I look at two basic numbers and just know the answer as someone reasonably good at math, and anything beyond that is a tax on my time that needs justifying. It might be justified, but it also might just be a sign of system bloat.
B) There is usually going to be someone at the table for whom math is at least kind of stressful. Yes, they probably can actually handle whatever math the game is throwing at them, but that does not mean they can actually enjoy an experience that involves doing it on the spot while the table waits for them.
Give me a table of people who genuinely like crunch and a game that actually makes it worthwhile and I'll gladly delve into the crunch. But if crunch really is in decline in the hobby I would consider that a positive move towards inclusiveness and possibly a sign of tighter game design.