Rules Light vs. Rules Crunch.

I am now an expert on writing small RPGs. That’s how it works, right? You spend some time doing something, and then you decide you’re an expert. And then you learn something new. Anyways, I just wanted to say, and perhaps take a stance, on why rules light rpgs can be as good as, if not better than, more “crunchy” rpgs.

First off: the weight of your book does not determine how good it is. (Although, a heavy book is a good indication. Thank God they printed something NICE!) Just because you have a couple hundred thousand words more doesn’t mean it’s any better. In fact, I prefer shorter entrees, because by God I don’t want to read your massive brick of a manuscript before I can even PLAY your game. Time is worth money, and the more time I spend playing, not reading, the happier I am. Additionally, with a shorter amount of pages to work with, the mechanics must be streamlined to function effectively, and forces writers to focus on the important parts of the game.

However, crunchy games do have their place, and can be useful and effective – appropriately, without the bloat that tends to creep into such works. Also notwithstanding the other possibility of misunderstanding, as with so many rules, it can be easy to misunderstand or forget an important rule or process. But forgetting all that, crunchy games can allow players to craft intricate characters with precision and detail, and can cover many more examples and special cases than a one-page document. A well-made, large-scale game can accurately portray a massive space opera or epic fantasy without losing detail in the same way as smaller documents, and reward players for clever character creation in the way that a short, blunt game never could.

So, it really comes down to what kind of brush you want to use. Smaller games paint in bold strokes, while crunchier games use a smaller, more detailed brush, but both can be masterpieces. I prefer a shorter game, because I can’t keep digesting your massive tomes without issue, but I would be glad to eat my words.

P.S. - I’ve probably forgotten something important. Also, everyone has their own preferences, there is no right or wrong. Ciao!