Raggi's talking about how plenty of gamers can and do sit down and enjoy many types of games. There's nothing inherent in 4E D&D or Exalted or Sorcerer that prevents you from also enjoying OD&D or Pendragon or Traveller (and vice versa, of course). Just like people can enjoy both chess and checkers. Or bridge and five card stud. Or Twilight Imperium and Candyland. (OK, that last one might be a stretch...)
HOWEVER
I know a few, and I know of many gamers who are game snobs. One guy here in my Board Game Group refuses to play RPGs, and hates any sort of board game like Risk, where almost everything hinges on the luck of the dice. A friend in Japan couldn't stand older D&D, but loved 3E and 4E (and is into tournament Magic: The Gathering, something I can't stand, although a casual game now and then is fine).
I agree with Raggi that we shouldn't cater to players of other games/editions when we're introducing our favorite games/editions to them. You wouldn't try to come up with some house rules for Clue to make it more like Settlers of Catan just because one person really likes Settlers and has never tried Clue. The same should hold true for RPGs.
We just need to accept, though, that some people -- for whatever reasons -- will just flat out refuse to try certain games (or refuse to like them if they do grudgingly try them). Accept it, find someone else to play with, and move on.
On Winning
5 hours ago
I agree with the entirety of this post, especially the part about catering to other gamers. People ask all the time, "How Do I Get Players of X Game to Enjoy Y Game?" and the responses are always "make the new game like the old one."
ReplyDeleteBut if they think the new game is like the old one, why play the new one? What does it do differently enough?
If the game is good enough, it'll stand on its own merits. That's that.
Hey, I've played my fair share of Candyland and I can tell you...Oh, wait. I got nothing.
ReplyDeleteMove along. Nothing to see here.