Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="J.M" data-source="post: 9695090" data-attributes="member: 6941190">I also think we need more nuance in the conversation when we describe a game as &quot;crunchy&quot; or &quot;light&quot;. When people say &quot;crunch&quot; they often conflate two very different things: rules complexity, and options. If the core book has 300+ pages, people are quick to say the game is &quot;crunchy&quot;, but is it really complex? What if it contains a bestiary that takes up 100 pages? What if the spells take up another 100 pages? That's 200 pages of options, but it doesn't add to the cognitive load needed to play the game if everything works off the same simple mechanics. In fact, having these options actually makes people's job easier if it means you don't have to make them up from scratch.In my experience, most gamers shy away from complexity, but they want options..players especially. It seems to me that a lot of &quot;light&quot; games are designed with only GMs in mind, because in the quest for simplicity everywhere, they fail to provide players with meaningful character building and advancement options. Yet, most players like to have options that have a meaningful impact on game play (not just flavor...and no &quot;trap&quot; options!). That's why my taste tends towards &quot;rules-light, options-rich&quot; games, and it's a sweet spot I've tried to chase in my own designs.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="J.M, post: 9695090, member: 6941190"] I also think we need more nuance in the conversation when we describe a game as "crunchy" or "light". When people say "crunch" they often conflate two very different things: rules complexity, and options. If the core book has 300+ pages, people are quick to say the game is "crunchy", but is it really complex? What if it contains a bestiary that takes up 100 pages? What if the spells take up another 100 pages? That's 200 pages of options, but it doesn't add to the cognitive load needed to play the game if everything works off the same simple mechanics. In fact, having these options actually makes people's job easier if it means you don't have to make them up from scratch. In my experience, most gamers shy away from complexity, but they want options..players especially. It seems to me that a lot of "light" games are designed with only GMs in mind, because in the quest for simplicity everywhere, they fail to provide players with meaningful character building and advancement options. Yet, most players like to have options that have a meaningful impact on game play (not just flavor...and no "trap" options!). That's why my taste tends towards "rules-light, options-rich" games, and it's a sweet spot I've tried to chase in my own designs. [/QUOTE]

Verification