I want smaller, leaner core books.

[pming]

Hiya!

I know most people love big giant hardbacks, but I really want to see the return of small, lean core rulebooks.

Personally, I want to see the return of the "BECMI" style of D&D. Give me three or four boxed sets. Set 1, for levels 1 to 5. Introductionary stuff; core four stuff (Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling; and Fighter, Magic-User, Cleric, Thief). Then Set 2 handles level 6 to 10 and adds in Half-Orc, Gnome and something else (don't care what; Dragonborn, Tiefling, Cat-Person, Lizardman, whatever), as well as gives 'class-switching/specialization' to the other Classes, which become sort of 'advanced' versions of the four core (Paladins, Assassins, Sorcerer, Shaman, Monk, etc). Set 3 would be for levels 11 to 20, but would primarily be focused on the 'big picture' of a campaign. Things like building a Keep, Temple, Monastery, Hideout, etc. (look at what Mathew Coleville did with his "Strongholds & Followers").
..
They could even do MORE Sets after that which could be 'campaign tweaking' in theme (so a Set 4: Greyhawk, or Set 4: Oriental Lands, or whatever). These sets would have specific changes to, well, whatever needed changing. Class names, race-swaps, specialized spells, skills and backgrounds, etc).
..
Lastly, add in Supplemental Sets that would handle specific and more detailed handling of various environments. So "Supplemental Set A: Underground", "Supplemental Set B: High-Seas", "Supplemental Set C: Vast Wilderness", etc.
..
These Sets could then be used however you wanted. Buy what you want, use what you want...ignore the others.
..
But that's my "perfect world of RPG supplements and rules".

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Reynard]

"There is no RPG that you could not present in a complete fashion in 64 pages with the right clarity of writing and layout. RPG core books are instruction manuals. They are technical writing. They can and should be much less prose dense and be much more utilitarian in design."

That caters to people who are already in the hobby with a certain level of expertise. It would have nearly zero chance of appealing to novices and new players.

And without them...well, you certainly wouldn't be burdened with any further products.

I don't think this is accurate at all. As a 10 year old neophyte I absorbed and learned a 64 page game that wasn't just new, but was a totally new game genre. (Guess which game.)

People are smart. They learn new stuff all the time. You don't need 300 pages to explain how to pretend to be an elf.

 

[Reynard]

So then you DON'T like a certain RPG with a 600+ page core rulebook that doesn't include the completely separate 200+ page game master guide?

I actually don't know what you are referring to.

 

[R_J_K75]

What's a phone book?

That thing I grabbed off my porch a few weeks back, took 5 steps and immediately threw it in the garbage can.

 

[embee]

I actually don't know what you are referring to.

Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook. It is a couple pages longer than the 5e PHB, DMG, and MM combined.

 

[R_J_K75]

Any game through its life cycle is going to change, expand and add new supplements. The smaller and easier to digest the better IMO. One thing that annoys me about the core books is they are written in a repetitive and boring nature, reading the class portion of the players handbook is brutal. Personally I wouldn't mind seeing a series of smaller books. Even if they were all packaged and sold together I could live with that.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I'm all PDF now so I don't care how many pages it is. Organization on the other hand...

I haven't purchased a physical book in years, probably ten or more, and I'm getting rid of my existing hard copies (just gave away an complete set of Fading Suns today, in fact).

If it is bookmarked, I'm ok with it, but I agree with the OP: drop off the third-rate fiction, full-page art, and general fluff, and cut it down to the nuts and bolts.

And I love the idea of scenarios stripped down to bare bones. I know most RPG writers are failed novelists, but I'm extremely unlikely to use much if any of your backstory and NPC histories; at best I'll highlight a couple bullet points, and use the note feature to plus it into my campaign.

Look at Gygax's G and D series: incredible quality, but lean and mean.

 

[GMMichael]

I know most people love big giant hardbacks, but I really want to see the return of small, lean core rulebooks. There is no RPG that you could not present in a complete fashion in 64 pages with the right clarity of writing and layout. . .

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Shortest TED talk I've heard. I think the lean rulebooks are out there, but you've been looking in the wrong places. Does DrivethruRPG have a search filter for number of pages?

I tried to keep Modos 2 lean, and managed under 100 pages. The technical writing part is only about 5 pages, if that makes you feel better.

I like some bulk to my RPG books though. The fluff is what separates RPGs from board games. I picked up Numenera just as much for the setting as for the rules.

 

[Reynard]

Shortest TED talk I've heard. I think the lean rulebooks are out there, but you've been looking in the wrong places. Does DrivethruRPG have a search filter for number of pages?

I tried to keep Modos 2 lean, and managed under 100 pages. The technical writing part is only about 5 pages, if that makes you feel better.

I like some bulk to my RPG books though. The fluff is what separates RPGs from board games. I picked up Numenera just as much for the setting as for the rules.

If the technical writing part is only 5 pages, why is the book 100 pages? What do those other 95 pages offer? Is is organized and laid out in a way that those 5 important pages are easy to reference?

 

[Reynard]

I know most RPG writers are failed novelists, but I'm extremely unlikely to use much if any of your backstory and NPC histories; at best I'll highlight a couple bullet points, and use the note feature to plus it into my campaign.

Hey, some of us are failed short story writers, too.