I’ve looked at a terrible thread on Reddit and then I went for a run to air the head…
Why am I constantly writing and rewriting games?
That is why most of the time, I start with a super condensed version of the rules I want to run, and then I find that they just work as is. The original rulebooks are no longer necessary, except for the referee, slowly, over time.
I wrote about my preference for short books before, I know.
I myself think there’s nothing wrong in this little size ratchet. That is just how things are. And generally speaking the pages added are in fact good. Customers just need to learn to discern what they like and buy the appropriate book. – 2010-09-08 Short Rules
I just don’t read the long rule books. The absolute upper limits for me are the 2×64 pages of B/X D&D, or the 160 pages of The Traveller Book, and … I just don’t want to read more than that before I start playing. Maybe, once I’ve played for 12 sessions, I’d be interested in more. If I had to guess, I don’t even read 50 pages before running a game. I might read more, later. But up front? Never.
What pushed me down the path of 64 pages or less was @JVWest’s BX64 challenge from 2015. He posted the following on Google+:
“to create a 64 page saddle stitched book that fits with BX. A setting, for example.” – 2015-12-20 BX64
Now that is a size I can appreciate!
I think the format also matters. If I have a big book that describes regional stuff, then I can treat it like a dictionary, like Wikipedia. When somebody tells me the campaign takes place in the Forgotten Realms, I can open that 320 page book and read the one or two pages that actually apply for the campaign and that’s it. This is great! But if there are books of 100 pages for various factions, and all are in play… what do I read?
I liked Mutant Chronicles 1st ed. in 1993 with around 200 pages. A bit on the long side, but it has a ton of pictures. When that Kickstarter for the 3rd ed. using the 2d20 system came around, I was all in. I wanted all the PDFs! But now the Core Book alone is nearly 500 pages.
I liked what I heard about Mindjammer. The Core Book is nearly 500 pages. I opened it, read half a page, and closed it again. And that makes me sad.
Perhaps the size of the book is not surprising because it’s a Fate game and Fate Core is about 300 pages (in 6×9 inches). Fate Accelerated is 50 pages. Six times less. Much better! And yet, my Spirit of Mesopotamia (Der Geist Mesopotamiens) is just 5 pages of A4.
That’s why I’m writing and rewriting games.
#RPG #Keep It Short
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I was wondering about Cloud Empress. It uses Mothership and I don’t I like Mothership because I don’t like horror. The tagline already turns me off: “Survive. Solve. Save. Pick one.” Sounds like Warhammer to me. Anyway, do you know what I like about the play test version of Cloud Empress? It’s just 18 pages! 😍
Sadly, I suspect it wont’ stay that small.
– Alex 2023-01-20 20:07 UTC
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I tend to think the surge of “fat” games started as a way to sell games
– yretek 2023-01-20 21:51 UTC
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I don’t know. Perhaps it was also buyers: If it has 500 pages, then it’s more value for the money since the price isn’t proportional to the number of pages. Also, if there’s not a constant stream of new things to buy, publishers feel they could “monetize it better” and buyers feel like a line is “dead” and “unsupported”. Whatever that means! It sure doesn’t mean that you cannot play the game.
– Alex 2023-01-20 21:57 UTC
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Yeah, Villains & Vigilantes - about that length, Super Squadron, about that length, etc.
– bluetyson 2023-01-22 05:43 UTC