Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 5761775" data-attributes="member: 2067">IMO, the first is closer to what I want: "This is the definition of X. Here is what happens if you change it."I want a toolbox, which opens up a world of new uses. I want to know what X is so that I can improvise its effects around it (even if some of those effects are horribly "unbalanced").The other way around makes little sense to me. If I have to define X in terms of what it already does, that makes the reality of the numbers more important than the reality of the narrative. It's no longer me describing an event and extrapolating effects, it is now me describing an endpoint and working backwards from it. It's hard to be surprised, delighted, or excited by justifying or explaining. It's much easier to enjoy yourself when you don't know exactly where you're going.Sort of...which kind of adventure would you rather have? An adventure that says "The Evil Necromancer is building his army of undead in the East!", that then lets you run with that situation, or an adventure that says "Plucky Heroes Kill Evil Necromancer", that then asks you to play Mad Libs, fill in the blanks, and tells you what your outcome is going to be before you even start it?Which one is more fun for you?</blockquote>