How much does the system matter?

[Garmorn]

Thanks for all of the replies. While I have played in more then ten groups over the last 30 years, I never got into the con or large social aspect of the game. (Most changes in groups was due to change of station ordered by the Army.)

This helps put a lot of the statements and conflict over editions in a better perspective.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Here's an idea. If someone says that system isn't all that important to them, and that their ambivalent or indifferent to which system is being played, why don't you take them at their word instead of coming up with a bizarre theory in which you state that people simply aren't owning up to reality?

I would say, largely, because it has been accepted since Freud that most people are not consciously aware of all of their motives all of the time. If a person's behaviour does not conform to what they are claiming, it is reasonable to suspect that said person is not being fully honest, either intentionally or because they do not fully understand their own motives.

For example, if I claim not to care about whether I receive A or B, but I have to pay $40 for A, and nothing for B, and I consistently choose A, then there is reason to assume that I do, indeed, care about receiving A over B, regardless of what I say or even what I may believe.

Similarly, if I claim that system doesn't matter, but spend countless hours tweaking the system or discussing system features, and how to get the most out of the system, either here on EN World or elsewhere, then one might suspect that, despite protestations to the contrary, system does matter to me.

There is often a very wide gulf between what people profess, and what they actually do. If you want to know what people say they prefer, go with what they say. If you want to know what people actually prefer, go with what they do. Every time.



RC

 

[rjdafoe]

With the right group, the system does not matter.

I have found that whith the right group, the system really does not matter. What kills games for me are people that get hung up on stuff way to much, constantly complain about things, and/or seem to just create problems.

In the end, it is people getting together and enjoying an adventure. Maybe that is what makes a great group of friends better than a good group of friends for me. It is about the adventure, not about the rules. When you can get like minded people together like this, IMO, all of these system problems tend to go away.

That is not to say there are not systems I preferr over others, just that system does not impede my enjoyment with the right group.

 

[BryonD]

no vote.

I'm the the group that does not see that these two things are tied together.

Quite simply with a BAD group, system doesn't matter because it is going to be rough no matter what. (or it does matter if you care whether the game is "rough" with a good system or nightmarish with a bad one)

With a good group, system very much matters because (shocking as this may sound) a good system is better than a bad system. (go figure)

The poll seems to underhandedly imply that actually wanting to play a system you like is somehow a sign of not playing well with others, or maybe of not having good friends to game with, or some other anti-social issue in that ballpark. It is bizarre.

The elements are completely independent.
A good group is important. End of topic.
A good system is important. End of completely separate topic.

 

[Garmorn]

no vote.

I'm the the group that does not see that these two things are tied together.

Quite simply with a BAD group, system doesn't matter because it is going to be rough no matter what. (or it does matter if you care whether the game is "rough" with a good system or nightmarish with a bad one)

With a good group, system very much matters because (shocking as this may sound) a good system is better than a bad system. (go figure)

The poll seems to underhandedly imply that actually wanting to play a system you like is somehow a sign of not playing well with others, or maybe of not having good friends to game with, or some other anti-social issue in that ballpark. It is bizarre.

The elements are completely independent.
A good group is important. End of topic.
A good system is important. End of completely separate topic.

I will say first I know I am bad at writing poll questions but I did not mean to imply that a bad system would not destroy the fun for any one.

I think I should have made it clearer that the system had to be one that you at least could play but did not really like. I can play several systems that I don't like. There how ever at least 2 systems that I refuse to play. One is Hero's. The whole create your powers and power scale is to far off. The second is Gurps. I hate is stat based rules.

But none of that was the real question. If you have rule system that you don't like, how important is the group.
Can a good group help over come the short falls of a indifferent rule set or not?

 

[Raven Crowking]

"You must spread some XP around before giving it to ByronD again."

 

[Desdichado]

The poll seems to underhandedly imply that actually wanting to play a system you like is somehow a sign of not playing well with others, or maybe of not having good friends to game with, or some other anti-social issue in that ballpark. It is bizarre.

There's no bizarre, underhanded anything. It's a caveat of the question in the first place; if the group wants to play a system that you don't really like, is it worth it to you because the experience is still fun, or does system matter so much to you that you can't enjoy it?

There's been a lot of replies that indicated that the poster read the thread title but not the actual question in the body of the post itself. This is another one.

 

[Oni]

I'm not really sure what option to pick. Really it depends. How good is the group, is it a style of game I'm interested in, genre, tone, et c.? Why do I think the system is bad, is it just because it caters to a playstyle that is not my preferred or is it mechanically unsound? Am I getting to play any other games? What did I have for breakfast that day? There's a lot of factors to consider.

 

[TerraDave]

The way these alternatives were written, I wanted to vote for all of them.

Yes.

Group>System>0

 

[Ourph]

I'm at the point where my free time is too valuable to waste doing something I don't really enjoy. As a result, I require both a good group and a system that I really like if I'm going to play an RPG. If I can't get both of those things there are other activities I get more enjoyment out of than playing a bad game with good people, or playing a good game with people I don't like.