Monte Cook on target audience of RPG Supplements

[phindar]

I've actually been saying for years that game designers don't play the games. If we didn't already have like 8 First Rules of Gaming, it'd be my first rule of gaming. It also reminds me of the parable of the free refrigerator, but I'm too tired to go into it now.

 

[Toben the Many]

I've actually been saying for years that game designers don't play the games. If we didn't already have like 8 First Rules of Gaming, it'd be my first rule of gaming. It also reminds me of the parable of the free refrigerator, but I'm too tired to go into it now.

From my own experience, this is true and not true all at the same time. I've certainly known many game designers who don't play their own games, because they simply didn't have the time. (Too busy designing!) Or their group was into something else at the time.

That was certainly my problem for a long time. My group really wanted to play d20 Modern, even though I was designing for a different game system. Eventually, I was able to incorporate my own stuff, but it took a while.

On the other hand, I get the impression that there are those game designers who play their own games quite frequently. Particularly if you listen to the D&D podcast with Mike Mearls, et al - they talk about their own games all of the time.

Game designers that don't play games at all? I don't see that very often.

Also, I think people should keep in mind that Monte Cook is writting a historical essay here. He's talking about a particular place in time and about a specific group of people he was working for.

 

[Glyfair]

I've actually been saying for years that game designers don't play the games.

Monte implies that he is talking about in the past. It's not necessarily a major issue today. Yes, I'm sure there are some out there. It just seems to have been pretty common in those days.

I do remember Monte making some comment about that being an issue at one time at WotC. I'm not sure he was talking about game designers, though. Maybe just employees who had major decision power over RPGs. We have heard numbers of things about various lunch time RPGs at WotC.

On the other hand, I've seen an increase in the number of 3rd party publishers who comment that they don't game anymore. The lament usually is that they have a full-time job, their game company work, and a family so don't have time for gaming. I've seen those sort of comments a lot.

 

[MerricB]

Designers at Wizards play games. (I'm not so sure about TSR).

Not sure how much Scott Rouse does, but I'm sure Charles Ryan was an active gamer during his time as D&D Brand Manager.

Cheers!

 

[Mark CMG]

Monte, Hinterwelt and myself (among others) will all be gaming at the Chicago Gameday next Saturday and this Saturday I'll be running the Paizo adventure at my local gamestore for Free RPG Day. I cannot imagine not gaming and feeling in touch enough to work on game products.

 

[mearls]

It's interesting to watch how RPG discussions have evolved online. I remember back in the late 90s, and the early part of this decade, people would go on and on about games, but you rarely saw actual play reports or discussions. Say what you will about the Forge, but the focus some designers there brought to actual play and in-game experience has really changed things.

All too often, designers who don't play their games tilt at windmills. People get all worked up about, say, classes and levels, but when you sit down to play D&D the "problems" they pose never materialize.

A game designer who doesn't play games is like an alien with a perfect command of English but zero cultural knowledge. Sure, he knows the words, but he doesn't speak the language.

 

[Nepenthe]

I found this quote the most interesting. I've often suspected some games writers stopped playing rpgs long ago.

Going from what I've heard from the designers themselves, they are still (active) gamers, but they just play in each others campaigns. In fact, you can pretty much interpret the quote that way, too (not wanting to play with the "unwashed masses")

 

[phindar]

Monte implies that he is talking about in the past. It's not necessarily a major issue today. Yes, I'm sure there are some out there. It just seems to have been pretty common in those days.

Well, in fairness to me, this has been a running joke of mine since the early 90's. It was my goto explanation for wonky rules or meaningless changes to a system (like the supplement bloat in many systems that try to rewrite the rules with every new book). My logic behind it was if I worked on/thought about/wrote game rules 40 hours a week, you wouldn't be able to drag me to a table. I remember reading about a study they did where they began rewarding children for pictures drawn; the kids began to perceive drawing as work and they started doing it less. I've always wondered if there was something similiar at work with game designers.

 

[CharlesRyan]

I've run into my share of designers who don't play, or don't play much, anymore. And, as Monte said, some of them do seem to take a perverse pleasure in that fact. But most of the designers I've known--and all of the ones whose work I really love and respect--are avid and active gamers. That's certainly true of Monte himself, and I can personally vouch for most of the designers and developers at WotC.

 

[Kaodi]

I remember first reading those comments about game designers who didn't play years ago. But that this history is new?