Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 1331714" data-attributes="member: 177">Yeah, look at how many.&nbsp; No more than a few hundred even answer the polls,&nbsp; when the research shows over a million D&amp;D gamers.&nbsp;&nbsp; Not exactly a compelling sample.Ah, but Britney and Reality TV haven't been popular for decades.&nbsp; The only one on that list that might compare is Micky D's.So, let's look at it - is McDonalds good in the sense that it's a taste sensation that can't be beat?&nbsp; No.&nbsp; But, is it good in the sense that it keeps one's belly full for only a couple of bucks when you've only got a half-hour lunch break?&nbsp; Yes.&nbsp; McDonalds is good at what it does - feed huge numbers of people quickly and inexpensively.&nbsp; What it does may not be prety, but it does this so well that many folks think of it as &quot;comfort food&quot;.&nbsp; Is Vancian magic the most artful magic system I've ever seen?&nbsp; No.&nbsp; That title would go to White Wolf's Mage, in my book.&nbsp; But that system was designed for a RPG in which every PC is a Mage.&nbsp; It is also the most abusable system I've ever seen, it is very strongly tied to a particular campaign world metaphysic, the number of details an individual player has to remember fill a book, and many people have great difficulties trying to grok how the system works.Vancian magic is easy to learn, easy to use, pretty simple to balance in a game with many character types who use few or no spells, open to tweaking for individual DM whims.&nbsp; It does it's job - high adventure fantasy gaming in a wide variety of worlds - pretty darned well.Simply put - artistry is not everything.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 1331714, member: 177"] Yeah, look at how many. No more than a few hundred even answer the polls, when the research shows over a million D&D gamers. Not exactly a compelling sample. Ah, but Britney and Reality TV haven't been popular for decades. The only one on that list that might compare is Micky D's. So, let's look at it - is McDonalds good in the sense that it's a taste sensation that can't be beat? No. But, is it good in the sense that it keeps one's belly full for only a couple of bucks when you've only got a half-hour lunch break? Yes. McDonalds is good at what it does - feed huge numbers of people quickly and inexpensively. What it does may not be prety, but it does this so well that many folks think of it as "comfort food". Is Vancian magic the most artful magic system I've ever seen? No. That title would go to White Wolf's Mage, in my book. But that system was designed for a RPG in which every PC is a Mage. It is also the most abusable system I've ever seen, it is very strongly tied to a particular campaign world metaphysic, the number of details an individual player has to remember fill a book, and many people have great difficulties trying to grok how the system works. Vancian magic is easy to learn, easy to use, pretty simple to balance in a game with many character types who use few or no spells, open to tweaking for individual DM whims. It does it's job - high adventure fantasy gaming in a wide variety of worlds - pretty darned well. Simply put - artistry is not everything. [/QUOTE]

Verification