David Dunham - who went on to create King of Dragon Pass and Six Ages - described his initial reaction to Hero Wars as “You develop your character’s qualities, engage with the environment in unique ways, encounter obstacles to the pursuit of your goals, and then a hand of bridge breaks out.”
Hmm, I can see it, but also feel it's a bit unfair. Although I'll dial down that second part of my response by putting stock in the initial in the phrase "initial reaction"!
David went on to become a big fan of the game as it evolved. He’s the one who got me hooked on it, in fact. So it’s not like that was his last word.
I read game books for entertainment. And some of them, I even play the game.
You probably have seen me post about my love of Torchbearer 2e. It's conflict resolution system can be quite abstract, and in the actual moment of resolution it's easy for the fiction associated with action declarations to be epiphenomenal. But then, at the moment of the compromise (once the conflict has finished), consequences have to be established that are often all about the fiction. That's the point at which, as GM, I do my best to build on the fiction that has been created in the earlier parts of the process. (And if the players are gunning for some particular compromise during those earlier parts, I emphasise to them that they need to set up the fiction that they want at that earlier stage.)
There are some game books that I read not because I think I'm ever going to play that particular game, but because they are full of ideas that are helpful for running other games.
