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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6425279" data-attributes="member: 42582">Is there much empirical evidence to support this conjecture?Pre-AD&D D&D (and its derivatives like Moldvay Basic) are fairy rules light, but both from rulebooks and what I've read of actual play of them, plus play experience with Moldvay, I don't think they especially conduce to non-vagabond PCs. For instance, there are retainer rules - which emphasise rootless vagabondage, because who else is likely to be an adventurer for hire? but no rules for benefitting from family membership. Tunnels & Trolls is even lighter, but it's design fairly strongly encourages rootless vagabonds.Oriental Adventures AD&D is a heavier system, but less likely to create rootless vagabonds because it has family rules, rules for playing a martial artist (who must have a mentor), etc.Burning Wheel is, overally, probably heavier as a system than AD&D Oriental Adventures but even moreso discourages rootless vagabonds, because it has various mechanics (starting with, but not limited to, PC creation) that push players in the direction of connecting their PCs to the setting in various ways.I think the issue is not rules light vs rules heavy. It's about whether or not players' choices about their PC backgrounds, and their connections to the gameworld, actually make a difference in play. If the GM has everything prescripted, why would players bother with stuff that won't make a difference to the actual play of the game?</blockquote>

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