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Message: <blockquote data-quote="orangefruitbat" data-source="post: 9629739" data-attributes="member: 3013">When you read a recipe, there has to be something (a description, a picture) that makes you excited about the end product. Otherwise it's just a list of ingredients and steps that you probably won't choose to make. I suspect that there are many DMs and players who read (and buy!) gaming books far more than they play - how else to explain those of us with shelves groaning with different games, expansions, adventures, campaign settings, etc.? I run a weekly game, but I spend more time with my books than I do at the table. When I read a game book, I'm imaging a possible future game that uses that rules set/adventure. It needs to inspire me to make we want to bring it to the table (and convince my gaming group that this choice is the one we should be playing and not something else). Clear, clean, and organized rules are definitely desirable, but that is secondary to an inspiring/imaginative read that makes me want to play it.For example, our group bounced off hard from PF2, despite it being much better balanced and organized than PF1. Reading through the class powers, feats and spells didn't make us want to play that game (even if plenty of people find that it runs well at the table). We had a similar lack of success with DnD 4E - perhaps the most clearly written and balanced version of DnD ever produced. I wouldn't put 5.5E in the same boat as those two, but it is significantly less inspiring/pleasant than 5.0 (other than some parts of the new DMG which are pretty fun). When we finish our current 5.5 game, the general consensus for our group to revert back to 5.0 the next time we play DnD (we will back port a few things like the shapeshifting rules). But we probably won't go back to DnD in the immediate future as there are so many great games that we are more excited to play - Shadowdark, Dolmenwood, Mothership, most of the Free League catalogue, etc.</blockquote>

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