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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wik" data-source="post: 5066044" data-attributes="member: 40177">I'm going to disagree with you, here.  I am definitely a GM that likes fast and loose play, and I love chaotic games heavy on improvisation, and as I said earlier, I hate freeform magic systems (they are a dealbreaker for me).  I don't necessarily equate an entirely open, improvised magic system in the hands of the players with an improvised style of play - they are not at all related.  Generally (again, IME), freeform magic systems result in the most creative player becoming the most powerful, with the rest of the group watching from the sidelines... or a group of players that can custom-make "I-win" buttons - whether you're an improv GM or a railroader makes little difference.Really, magic can derail play regardless of whether it's set or freeform.  Ever play Shadowrun?  there's a game that's notorious for allowing mages to completely bypass events, and it has a highly structured magic system.  I won't even mention the time one of my players in an old SR2E game summoned a spirit in a bathroom stall in a Seattle nightclub to follow a Johnson home after the initial meet to get more information, breaking the entire twist of the game.  I guess what I'm saying is this:  Magic in an RPG is always going to be "Creative" - regardless of whether it has structure or is "Freeform".  However, structure helps limit the capabilities of magic-using characters, which is a necessity in any RPG.  If not all characters are wizards, the reason is obvious - the non-wizards should have stuff to do.  In games where all characters are wizards, the structure is still necessary - otherwise, it's a game where the most creative or vocal player wins.</blockquote>

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