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Message: <blockquote data-quote="rounser" data-source="post: 320156" data-attributes="member: 1106">To a point I agree with tjasamcarl that fluff can be for naught but facilitation of intellectual masturbation and ego strokery.  I'd add that not all fluff is equal, though - some is directly applicable to your game - others not.  Wishy washy macro level setting material could be considered such "bad fluff", on one level, but as Wizardru points out in the case of the LGG, it can be inspirational - which can be worth more than you pay it credit for.  Perhaps what makes Keep on the Borderlands and Tomb of Horrors classics in gamer's minds isn't just ubiquity, but the atmosphere they present.  In the case of the Keep, limitless possibilities and unexplored horizons - anything could be out there because there's no setting defined beyond the Keep; in the case of the Tomb, eldritch deadliness, and an uncompromising style of play which fired more than one person's imagination.Although the argument that the fantasy genre is so overbaked that any fool can come up with their own fluffiness has substance, I would add that to a certain extent that is a mirage - else why are there so many adventures which are widely considered substandard around?  Look at the "classic adventures" thread for evidence.  They must be hard to write in a way that transcends hackery.  Designers, like most gamers, think they've got it in the bag when it comes to writing adventures, but the results seem to suggest otherwise - else why would so many DMs be convinced that they can do better?  It may be because of the home ground advantage (no-one knows your tastes and your material like you) and a loyalty to your own creative output.I don't begrudge the stance of keeping fluff out of the ELH, but as Psion implies, crunch can be inspirational as well - even in the form of hard rules - and in the case of D&D, arguably is obliged to be so.  Feats, spells and the existence or abscence of certain rules impact on the flavour of the game, and people's willingness to play it.  Surely the difference between a cool feat, spell, rule or monster and a boring one affects the tone of the game, and whether people want to play it.  That's that wishy-washy "soul" thing in action.  Without soul, D&D is no better than Fudge - and because it's not a blank slate like that is why many people bought a ticket to ride.  All IMO...</blockquote>

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