Reinventing the Wheel

[Bedrockgames]

I want to be clear: this is not cranky complaining about tkids these days. I am legitimately interested in the driving force behind this phenomena.

It has certainly been happening since day one, but the difference now is that there is 5 decades of design in the backgrounds.

So, when someone looks at (again, just by way of example) initiative in some particular game and says, "I really don't like how that works" what is the motivating force behind them tinkering until the develop a solution they like, which ends up being exactly the solution someone else developed a decade or more ago?

In other words, I am interested in exploring the relationship between seeking answers and developing answers in the context of game rules, in a world where there are LOTS of answers already out there.

But that goes to my point about tons of games being released every day. No one is ever going to know all the solutions that have been proposed. There is probably value in approaching the same problem and reaching largely the same answer as someone else, as there is a chance of coming at it from a slightly different angle or purpose. But I think there are so many games out there now, it would be almost impossible to know about every single mechanic that has been developed

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

I don't get the impression that most folks have looked at other solutions.

They probably haven't. I don't think the recent influx of new players is much more likely to play other RPGs than D&D players of the past.

 

[Bedrockgames]

So, when someone looks at (again, just by way of example) initiative in some particular game and says, "I really don't like how that works" what is the motivating force behind them tinkering until the develop a solution they like, which ends up being exactly the solution someone else developed a decade or more ago?

Someone recently did a blog post trying to track all the existing initiative systems. I don't believe it was fully comprehensive and I am not sure if it tracked development over time, but it was pretty interesting. I think one thing to consider is a lot of people are not actually developing new systems but pulling from existing systems (or at least taking inspiration from them).

 

[BookTenTiger]

In my own experience, it's more fun to try and hack D&D and come up with my own solutions than just implement someone else's.

 

[Zaukrie]

Someone recently did a blog post trying to track all the existing initiative systems. I don't believe it was fully comprehensive and I am not sure if it tracked development over time, but it was pretty interesting. I think one thing to consider is a lot of people are not actually developing new systems but pulling from existing systems (or at least taking inspiration from them).

I have a PDF with dozens and dozens of them. There are so many, and I've barely scratched the surface of looking at games, because I only own a few dozen....I keep thinking I'll publish it someday.... But maybe I'll give it away?

To the OP, it's a ton of work and money to look at other games, that's why people reinvent the wheel, they don't have access to other ideas.

 

[Composer99]

I do wonder if there is a creative impulse at work: even if you arrive at reinvent a solution someone else has already come up with, there is something to be said for having worked it out "from first principles" yourself - if, that is, you're even aware of what other games or other designers have done.

Another possible advantage of working out such matters "from first principles" is also the experience and understanding that the process gives you, much like how there is rather a difference between cribbing code off the web versus writing it yourself, or netdecking a Magic or Hearthstone deck versus working one up on your own (warts and all). You may well come away with a deeper appreciation for and understanding of the intricacies of the design you're tinkering with.

 

[TerraDave]

So these solutions…I regularly see threads here were one poster’s solution is definitely not another’s. I don’t really agree that RPGs have been “solved”. They have certainly been changed and varied, But almost always these variations create new issues which then require new solutions.

 

[Nijay]

People like to design games, and the design process will look different from person-to-person, project-to-project. I might want to know what other games are doing, I might not.

 

[SpellObjectEnthusiast]

More people have played exclusively d&d and decided to try to fix things they dont like than have ever played anything indie.

Someone doesn't, say, go to Fate Core to find an alternative initiative system because they've often literally never heard of it or any other indie ttrpgs. They only know d&d.

 

[Deset Gled]

I want to be clear: this is not cranky complaining about tkids these days. I am legitimately interested in the driving force behind this phenomena.

If you're looking at the big picture, it's important to note that this is not just an RPG thing. Here's a well known case from the academic world, where a doctor's research is commonly cited for re-discovering basic calculus:

Medical researcher discovers integration, gets 75 citations

(Note: this post is `just for fun;’ no premeds, doctors, researchers, or nobel laureates were meant to be offended in the writing of this post.) The bane of many American physics grad student…

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