Saturday, March 23, 2013

SBRPG2 Playtesting

We are busy writing the fifth revision to the SBRPG2 rules this morning, and prepping another playtest of the rules. It is turning out to be fun to take other games and just play them through with our rules. We have played Arkham Horror, various D&D modules, Pathfinder adventure paths, and we are now gearing up for a Descent playthrough this weekend. It is fun to see the differences the rules system brings to the table, and then tweak that for the experience.

The experience is key, you want to have that go-to game, that rules system that invites you to experiment and play. It is like finally finding that phone you can't live without, or that laptop that becomes the central part of your workflow. All of a sudden it is not about making compromises anymore, there are no limits, and you can express yourself instead of fighting your tools. Roleplaying becomes expression, and the situation becomes the driving motivation, not 'I am playing X'.

It is transformational, and enlightening. Complicated rules systems choose to bind you, to limit you, and are so heavy they become the only thing you could ever know and think within. They seek to limit, not expand and explore your experience. I want a game that does everything, and like that phone or like that laptop, enables my creativity, not limits it.

This is where so many games get it wrong, they want you to celebrate Paizo's or Wizard's game design teams as the game design superstars. I want to create a game that lets you be the superstar designer, and celebrates what you create.

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