Play Is Paramount: Discuss

[Micah Sweet]

I never said I don’t like those things. I said calling them something they’re not is silly.

I enjoy reading some RPG books in and of themselves. That doesn’t change the fact that their primary purpose is for play anymore than the fact that I can also use them to stabilize a chair with an uneven leg.

I have a library of lore-heavy RPG books that very much seem to me to not have a primary focus of play at the table, so agree to disagree.

I don’t think what I said is very subjective.

Clearly. I think it is.

But if you don’t play, then there’s no game. So then, what were you doing when you read that gazetteer?

You were reading.

Which is perfectly fine, of course. I mean, I might argue that if you want to enjoy the pleasure of reading, there are better options… but I wouldn’t go so far as to say there’s no enjoyment in reading an RPG book.

But reading is not playing.

There are better options for you. Subjective. Again. Some of my favorite reads have been RPG books, and working out or discovering new ways to model a setting is one of my favorite activities. Maybe my most favorite , sometimes. And playing may or may not be any given hobbyist's most valued activity.