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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jacob Lewis" data-source="post: 9764447" data-attributes="member: 6667921">The way I see it, we’re not looking at a pendulum swing so much as a branching.The industry didn’t collectively move toward simplicity; instead, the market broadened. For about a decade, we saw an explosion of light-to-medium games because they were easier to design, publish, and playtest in indie spaces. These spread fast through digital platforms and actual plays, so the perception grew that “simpler is the trend.” Meanwhile, crunchier games like Pathfinder 2E, Shadowrun, GURPS, and the heavier end of OSR design never left—they just weren’t in the cultural spotlight.What’s happening now with Daggerheart (medium) and Draw Steel (heavy) is less about crunch returning and more about audiences fragmenting into stable niches. Complexity appeals to players who want longer campaigns, tactical options, and system mastery, while lighter games thrive with groups prioritizing quick play, narrative freedom, and low prep.Is that desirable? I’d say yes, but only in the sense that diversity is desirable. A new wave of crunchy games doesn’t threaten rules-light design—it complements it. The danger only comes when publishers misjudge their audience and try to force a single model as “the future.”</blockquote>