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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mark Sabalauskas" data-source="post: 8194585" data-attributes="member: 6981190">So the "systems matters' discourse has reappeared, like perennial flower, or like a rash that won't go away, depending on your point of view.  Given that some people have a hard time even imagining why others reject the importance of system, I'm sharing a list of reasons why people might feel that way, from a<a href="https://festive.ninja/2020/05/09/do-rules-matter/" target="_blank"> blog post </a>I wrote when TTRPG designers were getting quite annoyed that some players were saying that "rules don't matter" I thought there might all sorts of sensible reasons why people might feel that way: or say something like that:• Rules lawyers make my table worse, and rules arguments and systems/edition wars make my online experience worse, therefore I hate rules.• I don’t even know the term “freeform play” exists, yet it is what I actually value about the roleplaying.• Setting, theme and/or strong adventure plots drive my purchase and play decisions, not rules.• People who say “I loved playing Ars Magica for a decade, but it is a lousy game” are not being nearly as clever in arguing for the importance of rules as they think they are.• My “generic” system (Fate, GURPS, D&D, Empire of the Petal Throne, Bunnies and Burrows, whatever) is good enough for my purposes, your bespoke system isn’t worth the cents of electricity it would take for me to read it.• I reject the claimed continuity between explicit rules, “rules” of style, and “shared understanding at the table”• Rules provide a minor oracular compliment to my agenda as a player; therefore, I want them light.• I hate the way the rules I’ve encountered limit my descriptive freedom to accomplish my goals.• Ummm, many RPG designers keep talking about how you aren’t raking in the Benjamins, and lots of us players keep telling you that rules aren’t the most important thing, yet you focus on….rules.• if I want a structured experience that applies rules to achieve an aesthetic end, I will play a video game, thank you very much.• Watching actors and improvisers stream playing D&D is much better than playing myself.Obviously many of the these reasons might seem to be besides the point to designer or enthusiast steeped in the sputtering remnants of Forge culture.  But, given the number of indie design enthusiasts compared to the number of people who are likely using DnD to do "weird stuff",  a design focus might not be a less than sensibile default  for thinking about  such things.  And it might be worth bearing in mind that systems matter to people in different ways and to different degrees.</blockquote>

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