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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 3689559" data-attributes="member: 18280">I've been thinking about this myself, especially in light of the "Gygax Munchkin/CRPG/Computer Beat Up My Roleplayer" thread.  One of the things that I concluded is that a role-playing game takes place largely in an imaginary space, with the rules being intended to help define that imaginary space, but not to constrain it.  It is IMHO that the reason that I do not view CRPGs as being RPGs is that the rules constrain the imaginary space beyond (to me) its breaking point.The more consistent and well-defined the ruleset, then, the more constrained the imaginary space.  When you stop thinking about how cool something is, and what it means within that imaginary space, and worry instead about it Hardness or DC or build or stat block, you cease to inhabit that imaginary space.  The game is no longer about the imaginary space, but about the rules.Now, admittedly, my knowledge of video games is haphazard at best, but when playing something like Silent Hill (for example) a large part of the game play is about determining what you are supposed to do when.  Despite all the excellent mood elements, I find that I end up worrying about the preset conditions that will allow me to beat the game.  The imaginary space takes a back seat as the game progresses until, somewhere about halfway through, I don't even care so much about the graphics as I do with what they represent within the gamist view of the game.  I cease to inhabit the imaginary space utterly.  It is an exercise in cleverness, like sudoku.  I can enjoy it (like sudoku), but it isn't what I come to the gaming table for.On one hand, I love the simplicity of the base mechanics.  On the other hand, I think that the game goes too far into making those mechanics serve all things.  I don't care if magic items are balanced, for example, if not having them balanced means that it is easier to inhabit that imaginary space.  Nor do I care if all of the math is done properly on monsters or NPCs.  I do care that, if I come up with a neat idea, I can quickly and easily determine what game mechanics I need to make that idea work in the game.  Which means that, essentially, I want easier creature creation methods, and the means to make new magic items without having to call them artifacts or use a spreadsheet.  Earlier editions handled these chores quite easily.And finally, yes, I do think that some of the graphics look computer-gamey.  Of course, I also think that this is most often true of the earlier books, and I am happy to agree that WotC's art direction has consistently gotten better over time.  Still, some of those new (to this edition) monsters look like they leaped right of the screen.  <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/laugh.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing    :lol:" data-shortname=":lol:" />SIDE NOTE:  My favourite new monsters introduced in the 3.0 MM were the choker and the ethereal filcher.  IMC, ethereal filchers steal anything, and only have magic items by happenstance.  Now you know what has been happening to your sock drawer!RC</blockquote>

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