Some Thoughts For Those Who Don't Understand Why I Game

Some of my games

I don't understand why people who don't play games feel it's their responsibility to tell people who play games that we are wasting our time and there is no benefit in what we choose to do as a hobby. I can speculate why, but I don't see it worth my time or effort. I was brought into a conversation because a younger gamer was defending themselves as a tabletop gaming and they just didn't have the experience of dealing with the situation. Being a gamer in their 50s with a career outside of gaming seems to add a little stability to an unwanted confrontation.

It isn't a pleasant situation when someone tries to push your buttons, we all get a bit flustered and feel like we have to defend ourselves. But having solid reasons for what you like to do, without telling others they are bad or have to do what I like, is a strong starting point. Here are some of the reasons I presented that may work for others.

It's a Hobby

Playing games is a hobby similar to hobbies other people have. There are people who are crazy about their sports teams. They can tell you about how each member of the team plays—many times with statistics going back to their college career. Other people do wood working, needle work, art, reading, or tracking their favorite television shows and celebrities. Playing games is a hobby like the hobbies other people do to pass the time. Some of us choose electronic games, some physical games, and I choose tabletop games.

It's Socializing

I can sit down with a group of friends and relax. We might not be at the bar or the club, but we can have a drink of our choice in a setting allowing us to enjoy each other's company over a game. Our games are usually interrupted by comments being made about current events in people's lives, what's coming up and the color commentary of what others just did. Admitted, there are times when we have a game scheduled that we are into the game, some require that level of committed participation. I game because it gives me a chance to be with friends.

It's Inclusive

One of the gaming areas at SaltCon

I agree with people that playing on team sports are great group activities. Take any cooperative game, and almost all role-playing games (RPGs), and you have the same atmosphere. I see an additional advantage to tabletop gaming that team sports don't have—the inclusive participation. Sports have more limitations on who can play. I was almost always the last person to be picked in gym class. I don't hold any grudges about that. I have bad eyesight which affects other aspects. My skills in throwing balls, catching them, skating, etc., etc. are affected by my eyesight (I don't play electronic games because first person games make me motion sick). But, none of these limitations stop me from playing games. The limitation we face is the number of players. Then, if a game doesn't support the number of people we have at a gathering, we just play more games.

It's Learning

Sport teaches people how to work as a team. The same applies in games, especially the role-playing games. RPG players take on many different roles in the games they play. Like in sports, we are more familiar with certain roles that are played. Then, there are the times we break out to try something new. We take on the role of the vampire, werewolf, the monster hunter, the starship captain, the reporter, and the list goes on. Each time we take on a different role we have the opportunity to learn, just like those other hobbies people are found of doing.

You learn how to plan ahead. Games are about strategy of one sort or another. Life requires to be able to plan ahead to accomplish long term goals, like winning a game.

The learning goes further. Playing a historic war game gives players the chance to learn about the war they are playing. Many war gamers I know also know more about the wars the play because they read about them. This is in part because they find something of interest, and it provides them with better understanding of the strategies of the time and how they impact their game play.

Many game themes teach. If you are playing a resource management game, you learn how to manage other resources. When you are playing a game like Coal Baron, you learn a little more about coal mining. You're not learning a lot, but it gives some understanding. Something that allows a person to understand a conversation, and learn more from what they are hearing.

I have seen businesses using cooperative games to help team build. I know where one department used Pandemicto teach concepts of working together and breaking out of silos. Only a couple of them were game players to begin with and none played RPGs. They now have a regular RPG group

Running an RPG teaches management skills. Sitting behind the screen and coordinating the activities of the rest of the players around the table uses many of the same skills used when running a successful business meeting: everyone needs to be involved, you can't let a single person dominate the entire time (just when their expertise in the area requires it), the meeting goal needs to be either successfully accomplished or progressed on, and everyone leaves feeling good about what has happened, (even when it goes against their desires). I have met a number of business managers who played when they were younger, or still do.

Part of SaltCon's game library

Writing an adventure gives opportunities of more creative learning. I like to research out parts of the adventures I am writing. In creating a knightly order, I read about the Knights Templar, Hospitallers, and the Knights of Rhodes. Other game masters I know do the same thing, especially in running games that are set in historic or current eras.

It's Fun

I define having fun by enjoying my time spent doing something, and that includes playing games with friends. I like playing all sorts of games. And, the games I play with one group of people are different than the ones I play with another. They all have the common thread of having fun. I know some who only like to play games that are more competitive in style. Those games designed to eliminate one player at a time until only one person is left. Some like to play the games that are humorous in nature with less strategy. For me the game isn't the determining factor, it's the people. Right back to the socializing, the fun of the moment with people I enjoy spending time with.

The reasons I play games are the same reasons I have friends who like to go to concerts, clubbing, sporting events, the gym. We like to have fun with people we want to be around.

Finally, gaming is not an exclusive hobby. Everyone I know who is a gamer does other things. We go to sporting events. We go dancing and drinking. We go to concerts.

Later in the evening after the conversation I was drawn into there was a shift. One of the people who initially making derogatory comments came back and expressed they really didn't know anything about RPGs, and wanted to know more. They became interested in the idea that they might even try a game that fit into one of the television shows they currently enjoy, The Walking Dead.

Overall gamers are like everyone else. We are a little weird about our hobby at times, but I still haven't bought a car to reflect my favorite game colors.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Splinter by End Transmission Games, RPG Review

If you like playing mash-up games, Splinter from End Transmission Games is one you will want to check out. There are several levels of combinations taking place in this game, and like the caveat reads when you first open up this book "If this is your very first RPG...put this book down, play another one first, and then come back."

Splinter is set in the future in a dystopian society where you (you), are playing a player (player), who is playing an avatar (character. This multiple level of play can get confusing to new player because even though the two characters you are playing are connected, they also remain separate.

Settings

There are strong elements of 1984, Brave New World, Metropolis, and Rollerball (more the original) in this game. Your player is a member of the dystopian society of the future. There is only one entity in power, the Entertainment Broadcasting Company (EBC), and they are in absolute control. The social classes are deeply divided and strong controls are in place to maintain the order. Being a player provides mobility that doesn't exist anyplace else.

Players choose, or are drafted (depending on where you start out in the social structure), to play in the Splinter. There are a variety of blood sports and story based games players, through their characters, are involved in. The player is working to achieve a fan base to gain stardom and the perks that go along with it. It is not an easy thing to do because the main goal of the EBC is to maintain control by providing entertainment and they have found that death is entertaining.

Players, however, also live in the real world. The real world is filled with the haves, the have-nots, and the in-betweens. The players are part of this real world. As players they have moved beyond the have-nots, but they are not part of the haves. Players may also have their own personal agendas, including politics, and they may have to choose to by joining the structure of the society, or fight against it.

Characters

Having both a player and a character in the game provides two games to be played. In the world you decide from what background your player comes from. There are those who have trained to be a part of the Splinter and those who are playing because they have been found to be criminals. Coming from either background provides benefits and penalties. When creating a character I found the system maintained a balance between the two, allowing you to build on the personality you want to create for your player.

There are more choices with the character. There are different races, bloodlines, in the Splinter and they have different abilities. There is also an element of power, harmonics, which is a form of magic. Characters also have three states of being: man, middle, and beast. In a sense each character is some form of lycanthropy, just not the types we are used to seeing. For example, one is golem or steam-punk style that can change out body parts.

Mechanics

Splinter uses two sets of mechanics for game play. When you are the player you are using the Dicepunk System. When you are the avatar you use another d6 system. This does provide some confusion to beginning players, but it makes for a defined difference between the settings.

There is some overlap between the settings on the basis of what the player and character can do, but there is no physical transference between the settings. To help with this a suggestion in the book is gives is to have two sheets defining each the player and the character. Then, only one sheet is on the table at any time.

The Book

I reviewed the PDF version of Splinter. Being able to bookmark a PDF makes for a quicker and easier reference document for playing. This applies to any PDF, but with the two settings depicted in this game it was very helpful. There is also no back coloring to the text areas, so the material was easy to read.

Concepts are introduced through story. The stories helped in understanding the concepts of what was taking place. I can see where this setting could be a strong setting for fan fiction work because of the tie between the dystopian and the fantasy.

The artwork was helpful in the placement and the understanding of the game.

Overall Impressions

Splinter, from End Transmission Games is a good game for people who are looking for something different. The players and characters are in a high risk setting, which gives to high fatality. Some of the EBC entertainment or straight out blood games placing characters against each other so they have to kill or be killed. This means a game master can set up games, and from some of the reading it appears to be encouraged, that result in player/character deaths. If you are not comfortable with the possibility of losing a character I wouldn't recommend Splint.

Splinter lends itself to both one-shot and campaigns. The blood-sport, short form games are good for a time when you want to run the characters in against each other and see who survives. These are very much like running gladiator fights. The Splinters long-form games for characters (avatars) and the dystopian society setting allows for the building of a longer campaign as you, and your players work on their agendas of supporting or fighting against the controlling EBC.

There is a lot of unique material in how the game is set up beyond the split setting. Not so much in the dystopian side, you will find hints of a number of books and movies beyond the ones I listed above. But, the information of the Splinter and the characters who reside there was interesting.

The results are mixed from the people sitting around the table. Some like the setting and some don't. Those who liked it stated it was because of the split between the player and the avatar, preferring to play just one or the other, while those who didn't like it said it was because of the split. One players was interested in playing a campaign based in the Splinter and not concern themselves at all with the dystopian setting.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Thieves' World Gazetteer, RPG Setting Review

Thieves' World's city of Sanctuary is a robust place for role-playing adventures. The party can go a long time without going beyond the area influenced by the local politics. Beyond that sphere of influence is the Known World, an vast collections of kingdoms, cities, and people mixing together in ways the citizens of Sanctuary may never had thought possible. Thieves World Gazetteer by Lynn Abbey, Brian Campbell, Patrick O'Duffy, and Robert J. Schwalb, from Green Ronin Publishing, provides the information to take a Thieves' World campaign out into this greater land.

The Setting

There is about 140 pages of information about the Known World of Thieves' World setting. The information you would expect about the people, kingdoms, cultures, and histories are given. Enough information is given about the main continent to allow for a solid basis of gaming without so much information that constricts a game master from developing an individual flavor. The world is given as an extension of the city, main setting, without taking away from the gaming experience of the streets of the port city.

The feel of the setting is not lost as you expand out from Sanctuary. The majority of the world is not as gritty as the city. The presentation fits into the information presented in some of the independent novels of the characters as they were involved in adventures. It was never a high fantasy setting. However, there are the unknown lands where rumors have come from that would allow for other races and creatures that many people are looking for.

Throughout, the underlying grit is there. The limitations of magic, either arcane or religious, are present. The feel is that when you are out there you are always going to be in competition to survive, working harder to advance. It can be done, but the character is going to have to earn the rewards.

The Information

A gazetteer is useful when it can provide the information you want about the lands so you can incorporate them into your gaming. Thieves' World Gazetteer provides the information.

Chapter one is about the general campaign setting and how it can be tied into other settings.

Chapters two and three are about the lands considered the Known World. These are the kingdoms and people of the main continent. There are several levels of information (historical, geographical, demographics) that allow you to move the game beyond the city of Sanctuary.

Chapter four is about the lands beyond the Known World. This includes the lands across the sea and the lands of the other planes.

Chapter five is devoted to the main deities of the religions from across the lands. Not only are the gods presented as who they are and their areas of their control, the worshippers are also presented on how they fit in. This provides some good information when developing a new area for the players by giving more societal backstory for the non-player characters they are meeting.

Chapter six contains supplemental rules that can be used when adding the different cultures. These include rules that can be used by players and GMs when developing or advancing characters.

The final chapter provides monsters specific to the Thieves' World setting.

The Book

I didn't find this book as well written as Thieves' World Player's Guide and Shadowspawn's Guide to Sanctuary. The information I was looking for as a game master (GM), and a fan of the books, is present. The problem I faced there were places where I had to re-read the paragraph or section because there was information dropped into the middle of it that seemed out of place.

The artwork in the book was is done by the same team of artist and designers. The selection of art promotes the feel of the setting and the books. The pictures promote the information in the text without taking away from it.

The layout of the interior is in black and white without any shading on the pages, which made it easier to read.

Conclusion

There is so much information that came out of the Thieves' World books—the writing of those books spanned over thirty years from many authors with different points of view. It is rich and varied. Thieves World Gazetteer does a good job of pulling together so much of the information and converting it into the D20 game system.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Introducing New Game Systems to Your RPG Group

My group is not always sure what game I am going to be bring to the table. One thing I like to do when reviewing any game is play it. Reading through a rulebook gives a certain feel for the game, but actual play brings to light the uniqueness of the game, and why it does, or does not, stand on its own. This regular introduction to new games has led to the need of learning how to present a new role-playing game (RPG) system to the group.

Many convention gamers know what it is like to sit in on a game they have never played before, but there is a difference between playing at a con and playing with your home group.

Most convention games are designed to be played at one sitting. There are the leagues and societies that allow play of outside characters in a shared world, but when you step away from those tables the RPGs you're getting involved with are broken down into two other areas: the familiar game you don't get to play often and the new games that interest you. But, again, these are usually designed to be played at the con. How these games are presented to players works well for conventions and there are ideas that can be used with home groups.

Pre-generated characters are almost a must for convention games. When running a one-shot adventure with players who are not familiar with the system in a limited amount of time means you need to get things up and running. The game master (GM) therefore prepares the characters ahead of time with the pertinent information for the player. I saw the opposite done a year ago when a Shadow Run game was working to help new players create characters before the game. They spent almost two time slots, total of 6 hours, to complete a 2 hour adventure. At the end the new players I saw leaving the table had fun, but were done with the game because it took too much in time and mental energy to get started.

Getting the group started is the key. The difference with the home group is the GM is usually setting up an adventure that will go to go longer than one gaming session. I used to think it was acceptable to spend an entire game session preparing characters to start the next week. I found I was wrong. My players were showing up to the game to play. Learning how to create new characters, and spending all the gaming time creating new characters, was a waste of an evening for most of the players. In learning that, I thought it would work to give people a time frame to have characters created to start on a certain day. That failed. There will always be situations keeping people from getting the character built. So, I stepped back to setting things up like a game for a convention. There are some does and don'ts.

Don't treat your home group play like a convention game. Convention games are fun. They are one-shots designed to heighten the experience of the game in a short adventure. I only know of a couple of gaming groups that like playing one-shot adventures on a regular basis. Players like to have long-term characters they can work with, develop, and keep playing. More of the problem I have seen is people like to have their own characters. If your players are like mine, they want the character to be something they created, not a pre-generated one where they are playing the personality someone else created. This creates a problem when introducing a new system to your group. You need a quick start with something that introduces the game and be continuous with characters they built.

From the trials and errors of introducing new games on a fairly regular basis, my group has come up with a system that is working well. This process takes a little bit of time outside of the gaming session, but then provides a quicker, easier start when the game gets rolling.

Provide a rough sketch of the system to the players. The players need to know enough about the system/setting so they can follow the structure, even before they are completely comfortable with the system. I now give my players a quick write-up about the system in a couple of paragraphs. Start with what is familiar and then provide the basics of what makes the system unique. Give only a synopsis. Too much information usually leads to a quick death of starting the new game.

Provide a simple explanation of character types: abilities, classes, advancement, etc. This provides the players some ideas about how the characters tie into the premise of the game. Again, don't go into a lot of detail about everything, the details will develop as the group plays and learns the game.

The GM then gets the players to tell what type of character they want to play. We do this in simple terms. Usually in a discussion after a game, phone call, text, email. Don't try to get a full backstory on the character. For a new campaign I am building the responses have been as simple as, "a field medic with military background," "a street thief," and "a scientist who is trying to prove he's not going crazy."

The GM now does the harder part of character creation. Take the system to be introduced and build the mechanics of the character to fit the information you were given from the player. Don't create the backstory or personality, just the mechanical parts. Giving this back to the player on the start of the first game session allows them to drop the personality they started onto the framework.

An example of how this works.

I think everyone is familiar enough with the Star Wars universe. The presentation of the setting is simple: players are going to be rebel special unit sent out on missions against the empire. The mechanics are dice based with a pass/fail system that is open to stronger narrative from players and the GM. Characters are developed on using a skill based system tree-system, higher branches in the skills require pre-requisites.

The players then could say the basics of what they want to play. There could be the sniper, melee combat specialist, the force sensitive, a pilot. The GM takes the information and builds the character's skills to the desired level to start and then gives the character sheet to the player to drop the personality on top.

If the players give some clues to a backstory they are developing, the GM can add those into the mechanics of the character. "I am a geologist wanting to prove I am not going crazy because I suffer from claustrophobia."

I have found when I give the character sheet to the players, they have been working up the personality of the character since they told me about it. They can think about the personality without having to write it down. Now they have a place to write it down, and, usually within a few minutes players are ready to start the adventure and experience a new game system.

There are a lot of great games out there. I know some people don't want to try new ones. But if you want to give a go on all of the possibilities of gaming, give it a go. Check out the myriad of experiences you can have with your friends at your gaming table.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Playing One Game System or Many, Part Two

The first part of this series of articles was about the benefits of choosing to play one role-playing game (RPG) system. This installment looks at the reasons for choosing to play multiple RPG systems.

Most games are written to fit a specific genre, style, or setting of game. When I bring this up in discussion, I usually get a look and a nod that says, "Duh." Yes, Star Trek is written for a specific game and setting, while Star Wars is another specific setting. I'm sure this isn't surprising to anyone. I have played both of these settings (in several different editions) and they don't cross over. So, if you are a fan of science fiction and not just one of the settings, you will need to learn both to play both.

Playing two systems like this at first doesn't seem like an advantage, but it can free up the gaming group. I have seen this work great when two members of a group traded off running their games.

I was invited to a weekly game where the group had two game masters (GMs) running very different settings: Shadow Run and a high magic Dungeons and Dragon campaigns. One GM ran his Shadow Run adventure. He ran it over several weeks until we completed the adventure.  Then the other GM took over at the table on the following week to run his adventure. When he completed his, we switched back for the next one in Shadow Run.

The switching between systems gave the GMs more time to prepare. After completing an adventure, they each had around a month to work on the next one, removing a lot of pressure. This allowed them to work on encounters and adventures that were a lot more in depth. Each GM could take notes from their last adventure, ask questions of the players, and weave more into the plot lines of what they were working on. This, in turn, gave us, as players, a lot more to work with during the gaming sessions.

Different systems support styles of play designed for the setting, which leads to greater creativity. Even when the settings are similar, like being in the same genre, you can get a different perspective of what you want to do because the system focus is going to be different.

Our main group has a side group that meets on an irregular basis. This is a family group that plays more on a spur of the moment basis. Then there are times when others of us join in. They play Rune Quest, which uses a percentile, or d100, system. The main group plays D&D 3.5, or a d20 system. Knowing both systems has led to some carryover of concepts from one system to the other. The players start trying actions that are more applicable for one system when they are facing a situation in the other. It doesn't always work, but it is fun to see what comes out of the attempt.

This creativity carry-over even happens in more diverse games. When playing a space opera you come into regular situations of dealing with zero gravity. When playing a multidimensional campaign (think like Sliders or Stargate) you are dealing with having to explore new settings without much beforehand information. Yes, some of this may already be in your fantasy or superhero game, but the focus of the game is different. And, like similar settings, after playing something it is a part of your personal background that you can bring into a new game and a new setting.

One of the biggest carry-over experiences I've seen has been from going between higher narrative games and higher strategy games. We have played some narrative heavy games where the description of the event is more important than the rolling of dice for determining the outcome of an encounter. When returning to a game focused with higher levels of mechanics, the extra description might not drive the outcome, but, it pulls the players into the event and they give a higher level of description of events based on what the results the dice are driving.

As you play more games it becomes easier to pick up new games. I talked to a person in a game store who was interested in playing an RPG they saw, but they were concerned it was going to be hard to learn a new system. The first game system may have been hard enough. The second may also be hard. Then, as the number of systems you know (or just familiar with) grows, the next one is easier to learn. A base of knowledge develops that can be drawn upon. More reference points have been created to start from when learning the variations in the new system.

For me, the greatest advantage of knowing more systems is moving beyond needing a system. I've seen this happened in two ways.

The first is being able to run a game on a complete narrative basis. Once you get the players away from being tied to a particular system for their game, they don't need a system to play. I've also had this work with players who don't know any system and want to learn role-playing, thus, not being tied to a system. I've used this when doing one-shot adventures. The group decides on the genre and characters are built with only basic description. The GM then provides the starting setting and the game is underway. Without the confines of a rule set, the group is doing improvisational role-playing—the adventure unfolds as the story is created by everyone. This is a narrative driven by the descriptions given by the players, including GM, around the table.

The other way is being able to build a game system to fit your particular campaign. Our group is always coming up with different ideas of game settings. They might be part of a larger genre, but more in the obscure corner, hiding under the blanket, behind the dresser. Our GMs can take their ideas and build on them without having the concern of how it fits into a set system or gaming universe. One such campaign was a post-apocalyptic mutant setting. Each player was playing a mutant, designed from the earliest edition of Gamma World, skills were develop using ideas from GURPS, then to top it off we were using a pass/fail system for advancing a character's skills. It might sound confusing, at first, but it worked.

For me there is no wrong way of playing RPGs. There might be a wrong way for playing an RPG, but I would rather have the fun of the socialization than working through the particulars of a given rule set. So, I lean towards playing all sorts of different games and systems. It doesn't make my way right, it's just who I am. Each of us has to find what works.

I encourage you to get a feel for what you like, what your group likes, and run with it. You don't have to be like me with over a hundred game systems on the shelf. You don't have to tie yourself into the one system that you were introduced to. Just be you.

Grab some dice, if they're needed, some friends, and have some fun.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Wonder Woman, Movie Review

My wife bought tickets in advance to see Wonder Woman. For people who don't know my wife this doesn't mean much. But for those who do, this is big. My wife is not into geek culture, and for her to want to see a comic book hero movie tells me there is a lot of expectation. In short, we enjoyed the movie and I recommend it. However, expectations are double-edged. I know others who had expectations for Wonder Woman and felt let down by the production. It really came down to what was expected.

Wonder Woman is a character driven story. The hook at the beginning of the movie ties in with the last DC movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which for one friend was the first nail in this movie's coffin (they brought forth their dislike of that movie and started applying it). Once the tie in is made, we are taken back into Diana's origin. The first section of the movie shows her growing up and training. Because she grew up in isolation from the rest of the world, this is not an action sequence.

The fight scenes are restrained. This is not to say there aren't any, there are, and they do some amazing special effects. But, the scenes play out in a shorter time frame than other movies in the genre. This allows for the story to move along and cover a lot without getting so closely tied into how the fight went.

Characters are portrayed for the time frame of the movie. Two people who expressed their displeasure of the movie was because to them Diana wasn't the character they grew up with from the Justice League cartoons. They wanted a strong, intelligent leader. Instead you are presented with a naive woman who is discovering the larger world of men after four years of World War I. She is still presented as a strong woman upholding the ideals she has grown up with, she is faced with the atrocities of war. She is forced to face her own standards and come to a decision of what she is willing stand, and fight, for.

The characters are true to themselves throughout the movie. The on-screen work of acting, directing, editing, all worked well together to present character who are relatable and gain the sympathy of the viewer. Several people I know expressed how the story presented brought them to emotional states, drawing them deeper into the characters and the movie. Good acting is needed for this to work and actors need good writing.

The story is well written. I noticed some wonderful foreshadowing that set up later parts of the movie. Along with that there are false leads and a good twist that kept me guessing. I had an idea of what was coming, but not enough to make the ending obvious.

The thematic elements were carried throughout the movie. This is one of those elements of story that lies beneath the storyline. It gives the story a feeling of wholeness. When we left the theater that is what I had. Yes, I know there is another movie coming with Wonder Woman, hopefully more than one. But, this story stands on its own.

We did not leave the theater on an adrenaline high, or fatigue, from the past paced action movie that many of come to expect from a comic book based movie. We left on a high from feeling good that there is a chance to overcome the bad in the world and do something worthwhile to help one another.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Playing One Game System or Many, Part 1

My current gaming group likes to play a lot of different games. We play all types of games: board, card, strategy, dice, role-playing.  For this series of articles, however, I am focusing on role-playing games (RPGs). A group I used to play with liked to play only one game, Dungeons and Dragons. The contrast between these two groups came to light for me recently in a discussion where people were talking about which style of group is better. Of course, if you have read much, or any, of my writing on these types of topics you already know my answer is what works best for you and your group. Now we have taken the short route to get to the answer, let's explore what is each style provides.

Why Playing Just One RPG is Good

When I first started gaming there wasn't a lot on a store shelf to choose from. There was more out there than I originally knew about because it was well hidden within the community as the creation of the minds of the people that played them. When meeting some of the early RPG pioneers I felt like they had poured their souls into their creations. They not only enjoyed playing the games they had, but the games and the systems were a part of their being.

That same level of support is still out there today for games. There are people who will throw themselves into single game system and that is all the only one they want to play. I am not just talking Dungeons and Dragons like my older group, but I have met people who have this feeling for games like Star Wars and Star Trek, Shadow Run, Call of Cthulhu, Blue Rose, BESM, and other. In fact I am willing to bet there is a dedicated group for each and every game system.

Groups are devoted because the game provides what they want. If you have everything you want on the table in front of you, why go looking for something new? That was one of the main aspects of the gaming group I was in before. The group even told me they would be interested in playing a different game, but if it was a fantasy, then it had to be done in D&D. A couple of us introduced new games. They would play one maybe two sessions and then want to get back to their fantasy characters.

Eventually I understood they had a comfort level with D&D they enjoyed. The group got together to play D&D because they knew the system. As time went on, they knew it better and better. They understood the nuances and the house rules developed to get around those nagging questions left open by incomplete descriptions. They knew how to create characters and how they fit into the setting. They knew what needed to be done to defeat an encounter, virtually every aspect of how monsters were supposed to act and how each was vulnerable. They liked what they knew, and the comfort that knowledge gave them.

At even tried to introduce different settings that were a part of the D&D system. We played Ravenloft, Spell Jammer, Dark Sun, and a couple of other settings. Those also lasted a few sittings at the table before the consensus was to get back to "the game." The comfort they had gave them the chance to fall completely into the characters and to design in a system they wanted to play.

Running a game is easier in a world you understand. I have almost always had a group with a certain level of "open" or "sandbox" gaming. There were campaigns where characters were dedicated to a series of adventures ran by a single GM. But, also, we each had a folder of characters we could call upon when any person took the reins of GM and announced they had an adventure they wanted to run.

Knowledge allowed them to build between game sessions. By knowing the system, they could spend time building an adventure or a new character. They could do it on the spur of the moment. They could start putting together ideas in piecemeal, five minutes here, five minutes there. Then they could push their note pages together and have an adventure that could be ran with minimal information on the written page in front of them. They were good to go.

Groups playing a single system have these advantages. Basically, everyone knows the system.

Another older gamer told me they have had, roughly, the same gaming group for thirty years. There have been the same core people playing, while others have drifted in and out. The only game they play is Advanced Dungeons and Dragons—the original hard cover books. They've only included information written for that first edition. Admitted, there is a lot of material from that time (a lot that has been reintroduced into later editions). But, they think of themselves as purists to the system. And, they enjoy it.

Groups into one system, no matter which system they play, have the ability to dig deeper into the game. They build on the basics of what is presented, learn the subtleties that make the system special and explore them to the level of detail that makes them experts.

Don't confuse these people for rules lawyers. Where a rules lawyer is usually looking for ways to exploit the system and push the game in their favor. These RPG system purists are wanting to keep the game going in its true form. They have no reason to shop the shelves at the game store looking for the latest editions, newest systems, or variants providing tweaks to what they have. They already have what they want. They have a game that provides for their desires and their enjoyment.

If you are a player of a single system, take pride in it. I understand you enjoy it and you consider it the best one out there. Your enthusiasm can be contagious when introduced to the right person and it is that enthusiasm that helps build this hobby.

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