Rules heavy = bad; light = good

[Morrus]

I feel like I'm seeing the above viewed almost as a consensus these days. It's probably confirmation. bias, but I figured it was worth asking. It really seems to be the thing right now - rules light games coming at us from every direction, but nary a new heavy system in sight

There's a thread ongoing right here in EN World about whether DDN will be rules-lite or not. And plenty of really awesome games recently have been billed as light/fast etc.

I have a bunch of rules lite games on my bookshelf. And they're frickin' awesome, each and every one of them. But there's room on my shelf for heavy, crunchy, tactical systems too. Stuff I can spend a few hours optimizing a character, spaceship, NPC, or what-have-you and actively enjoy that process.

Of course, the biggest game in the world right now is Pathfinder, which is a heavy system. So clearly there is a demand for heavy systems. But I stills feel there's an underlying current of "heavy=bad". And heavy doesn't equal bad; it equals heavy.

I'm going to be gambling on a demand for heavy systems soon with N.E.W. and O.LD. These are not rules-lite games. And more than one person has expressed sincere surprise that these aren't rules-lite games. But that's by the by and some time off.

What say you? Is lite a progression thing, a phase, or am I a victim of my own confirmation bias and seeing judgement which isn't there?

Or - and I can see this as a possibility - is an aging RPG demographic (and we are) being drawn towards games which demand less of our increasingly in-demand time?

 

[dd.stevenson]

It's a pendulum thing, I think. Right now the dominant RPG is pathfinder, which like 3.x before it takes heaviness to a degree that many people are uncomfortable with. And wotc is finding it in its interests to ride the pendulum in the opposite direction.

 

[Derren]

What is interesting is that WotC already tried rules light(er) with 4E compared to 3E with the known results. So the question is was 4E not light enough or are the ones wanting rules light games just a vocal minority?


Personally I do not necessarily want a system light on rules. That is a bonus but I have other priorities which come first.

 

[GMMichael]

I'm not so sure it's a pendulum. I think it's an evolution of entertainment and gamers.

Entertainment is giving us better and better alternatives to table-top games. Some of which are pretty simple to play. Then there are the Final Fantasy games - a series that I loved when it was rules-light. Now, I don't even understand the basics of the game anymore.

Gamers are evolving too. They're getting worse educations, and becoming more Asperger's.

So maybe simpler is better, if you're talking about interest in reading.
Heavier is better if you're talking to old farts who still know how to read?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

There's a continuum; everyone finds their own place on it and moves from time to time.

I find I personally won't go more complex than something like Pathfinder or 3.5, and am starting to prefer things somewhat simpler (hence my creation of Mages & Monsters).

But I don't think there's a particular "best" spot -- it varies by the group and individual.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Yeah - I think it is individual taste.

My two favorite games are HERO and Pathfinder. I have a friend that feels that any rulebook over 64 pages means too much.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The car market supports both Fiat 500s and Pagani Zondas. Some people have vehicles on both extremes and several points in between. Others vacillate, depending on needs and desires. Others still have a asteroid for one kind of vehicle and never stray from it.

Game preferences are like that, too.

Me? I like all kinds of RPG systems: HERO is my fave, followed by 3.X, M&M...but I also love Numenera, W.o.D, Paranoia, In the Labyrinth/The Fantasy Trip, and Dark City.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I think it comes down to trust.

Let me just say after years here, I trust NEW and OLD to work at least at it's base... Random guy A making a non D20 rules heavy system has to sell me on him knowing how to work it.

The rules lite are easy to see and work with. Complex rules are complex.

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

As a player and a GM who likes to dabble in many different games, the rules-light trend is a blessing.

That said, there is something to be said for complexity, when it is done right. Sometimes, complexity provides charm. A good rules-heavy game adds texture to the players' conception of the world through its details and many subsystems. Shadowrun isn't Shadowrun without its myriad magic and tech rules, and its heaps and heaps of equipment stats.

 

[GreyLord]

So you know, I'm stating the following with a bit of humor and seriousness at the same time...

You ain't played heavy until you've played Rolemaster....

OR Rifts with EVERYTHING tossed in (as in at least half the world rules and extra rules tossed in by many multiple different books)!!!!!