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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steenan" data-source="post: 5115695" data-attributes="member: 23240">I only enjoy settings that make sense. It's just not fun for me if the game world does not have logical and aesthetic consistency. Of course, there are various kinds of consistency. I like worlds that are believable, with a "this could really exist" internal logic. But I also like worlds with a strong stylistic consistency, a strong genre - like in Star Wars or Exalted. If a game has neither a definite style nor verisimilitude, I won't play it.I prefer as little meta-talk as reasonable. Of course, it's not possible nor sensible to disallow out-of-character talk completely, but it's good to keep it low. I definitely dislike discussing characters' plans and tactics on meta-level if it is not an inherent part of a resolution mechanics.I'm not sure what you mean by "story" here. RPG, for me, is not about pre-written plots, it's about what comes out from players' decisions. If mechanics gets in the way of what is chosen and what makes sense in-game, it's time to change the mechanics. I have nothing against mechanics that are abstract enough to act at completely different level then concrete in-game actions, but I don't accept mechanics that encourage tactics much different from what is logical or stylistically appropriate in the game world. This "stylistic appropriateness" is an important factor: for example, if a game presents itself as "heroic fantasy", I want it to encourage heroic choices, not tactical ones. If it is horror, the optimal tactic should be "run for your life, then research, then return", not shooting the monster with the biggest gun you have.I prefer mechanics that focuses on what is important for given game and leaves the rest broad and simple. A lot of small rules is hard to remember, hard to use and easy to munchkinize. Simple rules and a reasonable GM works much better. On the other hand, the main theme of the game should be represented mechanically by something more than a single die roll. Dogs in the Vineyard is a good example of what I consider a good design.</blockquote>

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