Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Barastrondo" data-source="post: 919091" data-attributes="member: 3820">I've seen a lot of talk of "more options" versus "fewer options", but it strikes me as somewhat disappointing that "fewer options" and "restrictions" are generally seen as a negative thing. For example, SHARK (and I hope you don't mind me quoting you here), you use words like "preclude" and "reduce" and "restrictions" a lot, in kind of a negative tone.But the fundamental difference between that line of thought and that of, well, folks like me who are unabashedly in favor of "restrictions" over "freedom," is that we don't see the loss of options as an overall loss. You get something back for what you're willing to exclude or restrict, which is why groups like mine tend to do that sort of thing. Precisely what you get as a trade-off for those extra options you're passing on is a matter of opinion, really; you could say "focus," or "accessibility," or whatever it is that you prize in a fantasy setting so much that you're willing to sacrifice the more excessive elements of fantasy to get it. Similarly, you can look at a "more freedom, more options" campaign and see that you're losing something in order to get those extra options — you're losing "focus," or "accessibility," or whatever. That is, I think, the heart of the whole "High Magic Vs. Low Magic" argument. Both styles of campaign give up something in exchange for something else, and depending how strongly you feel about what you like in a game — be it "options," or "focus," or whatever — you can feel pretty strongly about games that recommend you give up what you like in favor of what you're not as fond of. To me, there will be something missing from all "high magic" games; sometimes I might not miss that ephemeral quality so much, but sometimes I'll pine for it bad. And that really shouldn't be taken as a reflection on the gamemaster or group's skills, any more than I would feel bad if someone who really loved high magic decided my game wasn't much fun. It's just part of the whole nature of choosing a genre — you give up some things so that other things can be stronger, and hopefully you find a gaming group who prioritizes the same genres and elements that you do. It's true that there are really good examples of both genres (sub-genres?), and I'm sure that some people would have fun in either type of campaign — but, alas, it's probably not true that every gamer would enjoy every style equally, no matter how high-quality the game they joined. A game that's fantastically well-run, but that lacks the vital spark of what you love best about RPGs — be it Magic In All Its Glory, or the accessibility of challenges similar to those your favorite literary heroes face — just isn't going to win your heart in the same way, no matter what it offers in exchange. But that may just be me.</blockquote>

Verification