I like games where I can
explain the rules in a few short sentences, and don't have to keep
consulting rule books or worry about whether I'm making it too easy or
about to cause a TPK. While I absolutely love playing
D&D/Pathfinder, and will even put up with the old school insanity
that is Cyberpunk 2020, when it comes to running a game they're not my
first choice. While I have run a couple of Pathfinder campaigns, they
were both using published adventures, which took away most of the
thinking, and I was running for a group of very experienced players who
all knew Pathfinder as well or better than I did and never had to check
how many hit points a Cure Light Wounds potion restores.
I like
games where I can make use of my pre-existing setting knowledge. That
can mean games like Victoriana and Scion where I could use my knowledge
of Victorian Britain and Greek mythology to come up with plots and bring
the world to life. It can also mean games like The Dresden Files RPG,
where I know the books well enough to do the same things, and Scum and
Villainy (which does technically have its own setting but was clearly
intended for playing Firefly (amongst other things)), where I've watched
the show several times and own a ton of useful supplemental material.
I like games that encourage the players to talk among themselves. It
can get pretty tiring being the centre of attention, plus there's
worries about whether I'm giving the players equal spotlight time. If
they start roleplaying together without needing my input until it's time
to roll the dice I can take a breather and enjoy the story, because
players invariably come up with things you'd never thought of, and
that's what makes table top rpgs so amazing.
No comments:
Post a Comment