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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Haffrung" data-source="post: 8140230" data-attributes="member: 6776259">It’s interesting that the most popular RPG in the world is more complicated than 98 per cent of boardgames. Some suggestions why:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">D&D has it origins in tabletop wargames, which are complex by the standards of most hobby boardgames. On top of that, it addressed the variety of different situations an RPG can present outside of combat with more rules and systems.</li> </ul><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">When a rationalization of the rules was carried out for 3E, the enormously popular Magic the Gathering was a major influence, a game that not only rewards system mastery and optimization, but is a hobby unto itself. It was designed to be a game with a wealth of mechanical grit and options to engage with away from the table.</li> </ul><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Moreso than most games, just reading D&D books and talking about mechanics and optimization online can be a hobby. RPGs are fundamentally different from boardgames in that the players, and especially the DM, often spend hours away from the table thinking about and playing with the game. Publishers recognize this is a significant part of the market for their books.</li> </ul>Having said that, I think the complexity of D&D is largely down to legacy at this point. The preference of the vast majority of tabletop gamers today is for games that can be picked up and learned easily, without taking any books home. If a publisher were to poll the market for D&D today - all of the people actively playing or interested in playing - to find out their wants and preferences, without any deference to legacy or online hardcore culture, I‘m certain they would design a game that’s far less complex than what we have. And if they actually employed instructional designers and technical writers to write the thing, I expect the rules would come in at under 30 pages, including illustrations and examples.</blockquote>

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