All four of us in my gaming group are serious, serious gamers, we like the same types of games, and we get along great. But despite all that, each of us brings very different games to the table. We all take turns choosing the game and GMing. Mike is very plugged in to the online indie gaming scene, and brings us the new hotness. Ryan is on a lifelong quest to discover or build the perfect story-gaming system. Peter’s tastes run to the crunchy, and he loves superhero games. And me, well…
When I look at the history of the games that I have nominated and run, there are both expected and unexpected trends:
I’m attracted to settings more than systems. I know that system is vitally important to the gaming experience, but when I read a new game and go “hell yeah I want to play that,” it’s usually because the fictional content (or “fluff”) has grabbed me. I find this especially when reading the GUMSHOE games: Trail of Cthulhu, Ashen Stars, Night’s Black Agents, et al. I don’t even particularly like the GUMSHOE system, but these games have evocative, detailed settings that are ripe for drama and adventure. Setting-rich games are kind-of a problem with my group, though, which tends to prefer games with a low barrier to entry (i.e. not having a lot of setting material to memorize before the game can begin). When I run a game, I tend to spend a lot of time developing setting and backstory content, and then trying to figure out how I’ll introduce it all during play (without boring exposition scenes).
But system IS important. I like systems that aren’t too crunchy; I don’t want to have to keep flipping through the rulebook during the game. A system should have explicit mechanics for driving the story forward and in unexpected directions. I want to be surprised, even as the GM. We end up mixing and matching systems and settings quite a bit. For example, I ran a game in the Elric! (a.k.a Stormbringer) setting using the Sorcerer and Sword system (with great success). But paradoxically, reading setting-free system rulebooks (e.g. Fate Core) leaves me cold. I need some sets and costumes with my rules, even if I’ll never use them.
Sorcery, ghosts and demons. These are favourite genres of mine that I keep coming back to. I feel like there’s something about forbidden knowledge and Things That Should Not Be Named that I haven’t successfully invoked at the gaming table yet; but I can’t say exactly what that is. I’ll keep exploring these genres until I do.
I just finished my turn in the GM’s chair, so my next opportunity to pick the game is probably a year away. Still, I’m always reading new RPGs and supplements, and of course I want to play just about all of them. Maybe looking back at my previous selections will help me to narrow down on what I’m really looking for. Or maybe I’ll decide to try something completely different.
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