What makes an RPG good….for me?
This is a very subjective post, a retrospective analysis really, but if one person’s opinion is as relevant as anyone else’s, then why not.
There are a lot out there and lots of “generations” of games, so picking one style or period alone is tough, let alone choosing a single game. Through the years I have developed a reasonably clear idea of what works for me (though not clear enough it seems to steer clear of the same old traps).
Theme is obviously important. My tastes tend to run to hard, realistic, sometimes darker themed games, of historical or low magic fantasy (Dark Age and Asian especially), Sci Fi, Pulp (Victorian to WW2 including fanciful Sci Fi), urban supernatural, street level supers, Renaissance-late medieval including steam punk all with the possibility of alternate anthropomorphic animal options in the mix.
Examples of these are Warhammer, Warmachine/Hordes, most of the Legend/Mythras series, Tolkien, Call of Cthulhu - especially WW2 period, selected other BRP, Traveller, Mouse Guard, TMNT.
Mechanics are also important and often are directly related to the above. Mechanics should be rational, light, reasonably invisible, but leaning towards hard (dangerous-decisive) and flexible. Complicated and bespoke or massive pools of dice don’t appeal. Clever is good, too clever and game dominating is not.
Favourite mechanics include, D100 (most, but no single one gets it totally right) or 2d or 3d6. The overall consistency of these makes gaming a simple, minimally mechanical process and most systems tied to these two mechanics are well tried and not systemically “chained” to any odd or inflexible processes. The exception is the dice pool in Mouse Guard which is a good example of balanced perfection.
A game that has decent (not perfect) mechanics in theory, but then forces a lot of specific processes on the GM and players is The One Ring. I actually like the D&D 5e version Adventure In Middle Earth better, because it leaves more up to the players. This to me is an example of a game unwilling to let players decide on their level of immersion and story fidelity, not forcing strict processes on the players.
Feel. Again related to the above, I like my games to have a smooth feel when played, but most importantly actions must have consequences. The “squishy” D&D style game holds little appeal. Character death or incapacitation should always be a possibility, resurrection a myth or the reward for a dangerous quest, healing slow and a punishment for poor choices. No character at any point should feel invulnerable to anything.
Most d100 games are known for their “realistic” or “deadly” combat. Ever been in a gunfight? Scary stuff I assume (I have been under live fire in an exercise, but not in combat). How many times, if ever, have you struggled to take a TV show, book or movie seriously if the fighting scenes quickly take on a “mock” feel with few if any real consequences. Hit points (without specific critical hits), periodic recoveries, fast healing and resurrection be damned, I want genuine fear of consequences. There is no heroism without fear and I would argue, less gaming satisfaction if a result is achieved against little real threat.
Presentation. This one has been an interesting evolution. Drawn as most of us are to the later generation “big glossies”, I have parted with much bullion, usually resulting in a feeling of detachment, even occasional loathing. Sure they are often a good read and luxurious eye candy, but that very approachable, very tactile feel of simple books with black and white line drawings, printed on plain paper (often with notes pencilled in the borders) is missing. The book is a work of often brilliant art, but a bit like a collectors level miniature, it does not invite (me) to get it on the table, use it, even treat it rough and most importantly, use it like a tool box, not a bible of immutable truths.
Examples; Mongoose Traveller 1e vs 2e, WHFRP 1e vs 4e, Legend and other d100 games vs most other fantasy offerings. A big glossy book is a huge commitment all around. Every poorly worded paragraph, vague or needing of amendment rule, edition change or glaring typo bites deeper if the preciousness of the book is maximised. Perfection is hard to achieve, nearly impossible I would say, so buying a $100 au book, just to “see if it floats your boat’” can be a fraught and frustrating experience. I have started to get PDF versions more often, so I can print them myself or get a local office supplier to do them for me. This also allows me to replace or duplicate specific pages as needed, or just move on with minimum fuss.
Art, like all the above topics works best for me when it is simple, evocative and consistent. I prefer black line drawings to high gloss colour, simply because one allows me to get the “feel” of the game, while the other tells me explicitly what the game world looks like. There are some games that have the right to impose their will on us, because they are so specific and fully developed (Warmachine, Mouse Guard), but I rarely find satisfaction in opinionated art for more generic works.
The first example that comes to mind is Mongoose Traveller 1e, with the sort of art that takes me back to my first encounter with the game (which coincided with my introduction to 2000AD comics-had the very first one, then“home brewed” high school drawings and discovering the classic sci fi art of John Berkey, Frank Frazetta or John Harris among others), while the 2e book just left me cold with their clean, uninspired art. A case of their opinion and mine differing. Contrast this also with the minimalist but highly evocative art in M Space, (see above).
My first and most memorable games and the art within were mostly BRP based, slim volumes with sparse but on point art like Stormbringer, Hawkmoon, Call of Cthulhu, Elf Quest, original GDW Traveller (no art), Champions 3-4e. Sure I own lots of these glossy monsters, but few artistic triggers stuck with me like these older ones. Less is sometimes actually more.
Content. How much is too much? I need a spring board for my imagination, not a painstaking guide to every detail of how I should be presenting a given world. Again, there must be exceptions. Warmachine, Warhammer, and Mouse Guard for example, all have deep and fleshed out visual histories, but I do not need my hand held down to a micro level with most.
Give me inspiration, give me freedom and give me reasonable support (of the right type), but don’t railroad me. I do not have the will anymore (or ever did) to drudge through hundreds of pages of content, just to get some friends around a table to exercise our imaginations for a few hours. If a book can offer a complete game in one volume and still stay under the size of a phone book, then I am happy.
The main offenders here are of course the big glossies. A set of 400+ page Warmachine books, all decked out with spectacular art, consistent history and cohesive mechanics is a real stretch these days. Eye candy aside, I just find myself drawn to the 100 odd pages of MT1e or Legend. I think I burned out on D&D/Pathfinder 3.5e. For some time it seemed like a new book came out every month, always with inconsistencies and changes, but still with that insatiable “must have” trigger.
All you need in one volume. Books like this put the bulk of the creative burden on the GM (and players), but isn’t that the core of the hobby?
Given the above, this is how things stand currently;
Fantasy (Classic to gritty, low magic and sometimes historical).
In; Anything d100 based, AIME (with just the free 5e core rules chapter for “playing the game”), Mouse Guard, Bare Bones Fantasy and Wuxia, Warhammer 1e (possibly 4e).
Out; All d20 including 13th Age (except AIME, which I may convert to d100), Warmachine, The One Ring (again, see AIME).
Supers and Supernatural (street level and gritty, not 4 colour or cosmic)
In; BRP/Super World, After the Vampire Wars, Destined (when released), Luther Arkwright, Maybe a little Hero System 4e for old time’s sake, Supers RED and BASH are also in the mix, but unlikely to be used over a more mainstream and flexible system.
Out; All of the rest. So many!
Pulp Horror and Adventure (Victorian to Modern).
In; CoC/BRP (includes Western, Gaslight, Deta Green, The Laundry, Achtung Cthulhu) and Mythras/Legend (includes Historica Rodentia, Worlds United), Covert Ops.
Out; Savage Worlds.
Sci Fi/Sci Fantasy/Far future fantasy.
In: M-Space, Mongoose Traveller 1e, Frontier Space, BRP Future Earth.
Out; MT 2e.
My “Desert Island” collection. Genuine Sci FI, Horror/pulp, dark and classic fantasy and a generic system for supers etc.