Neonchameleon
Legend
Indeed not every game tries to force players into a narrow theme - but literally every game there ever was or will be does have a set of themes it supports and it hinders many others outside that set.I think it is simply aiming at providing something else that is not as tightly controlled. Not every game tries to force players into a narrow theme, and not all that do not try that are ‘old’ to me
And in my experience a good modern game like Apocalypse World or Daggerheart by the time it hits the table supports a significantly broader set of themes than a clunky old game like AD&D 2e by the time it hits the table (i e. when you've chosen which specific house rules you want).