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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steenan" data-source="post: 6013661" data-attributes="member: 23240">The matter is - what I'm describing is not a theoretical analysis based on what some people wrote in their blogs. I would probably never care for various Forge theories if not for one thing.It just works for me and my friends.I played in games where the whole group had common expectations, but the game system didn't fit - the system actively got in the way, leaving a choice between ignoring it and compromising what we all wanted from the game.And I played in games where system actively drove and focused play, in a way that wouldn't be possible without it.I could probably run my Mouse Guard games using D&D. It would work, but would be less fun - run by the same GM, with the same group. I could try to run my Nobilis or DitV games with D&D and they would crash horribly. Or, in best case, they would be just played freeform, ignoring all the numbers on character sheets.I usually don't choose players based on the game - I have many games and I can choose a game that fits what we want to play. It's not than no other game would fit the style we prefer for given evening. But we don't have to play something that fits only partially (because the game tries to be everything for everyone) - we may choose the game that fits perfectly.Maybe the system does not matter for you. Maybe you're just much better GM than I ever played with, maybe you don't fully use the systems of games you play, maybe you have less varied range of play styles that you find fun. Maybe something else entirely.But for me, and many people I play with, it matters enormously. Playing focused games that fit our preferences is much more fun and we would never want to return to playing a single, "generic" game, whatever it would be.Now to the other matter you discussed in your post. You state that every game, at some level, mus focus on "winning" or it won't work. That is just not true. Maybe they don't work for you because you or your group focus on winning no matter what you play. Games don't need to model gaining power. They don't need accumulation of resources - or they may use it, but in completely different way. In Nobilis, your long-term projects move forward when you try and fail, get in trouble or encounter something that significantly changes you and your goals. Activities that make the game interesting are rewarded, not the shortest path to success. In Mouse Guard, working hard to achieve your goal and failing is rewarded differently, but not less, than achieving it. In DitV players themselves choose between adding and removing their characters' resources - based on what better fits the fictional situation.As for RPG sessions not being novelized - it's not surprising. RPG is a different medium, with different focus. A book is perceived passively. RPG session is something that all participants actively shape. Being able to make choices and have that choices matter is what makes play interesting - that's something no book can offer. And that is also why RPGs don't need to focus on winning. They may focus on what you choose to fight for.</blockquote>

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