Myth #1
“The Perfect RPG”
This is often framed as The Best/Most Perfect/only RPG you ever need to play, and why aren’t you playing it all ready, nerd? You hear about it from your friends, other people in the store, or you read about it on the Internet, and it looks and sounds like the most amazing thing in the universe. This is the hottest thing in the universe, and you’re maiming yourself for not all ready being in the middle of a game.
The truth of this, as is often the case, is that there is no best RPG. it’s a myth spread by die hard fans, slick advertising campaigns, and word of mouth designed to draw your attention to one specific game in the vast herd of available entries on the market. Every RPG is a balance of design, purpose, and complexity combined to create a specific play experience for a target audience. The details that go into creating an RPG should be informed by the experience the designers intend for their target audience.
As a consumer of RPGs, (like all media) be informed. Read reviews from lots of different places. Download demo kits if they exist. Watch/listen to Actual Play video broadcasts or podcasts. If you decide what you see is something you like, then maybe invest some money and get the corebook or starter set. Every RPG fan has a finite amount of time and money, and make sure that you are investing both of those into something that you want to experience.
Myth #2
“All RPGs are the same”
This is another good one, and runs on the notion that every RPG provides the same basic experience for the players. This is also false. Like we said above, every RPG is looking to cultivate a different experience for the players, and rolling them all up into the “All are One” mentality sells short the artistic capacity that the designers have and the experiential possibility that we as consumers have.
If you want to look at this in context, take a look at the difference between Bluebeard’s Bride and Pathfinder. Bluebeard’s Bride is a fantastic game of self exploration, horror, and deep, emotional feelings created by Whitey “Strix” Beltran, Sarah Doom, and Marissa Kelly. Pathfinder is a reworking of the D20 engine used by the 3rd edition of Dungeons and Dragons published by Paizo. It’s intent is to offer a different take on the high adventure storytelling provided in most fantasy RPGs. These are two very different games that provide different experiences.
Very different games provide different experiences for different players and that’s perfectly acceptable and expected. If every game provided the same experience, we wouldn’t have the variety of games and systems that have created the market we all share. Finding the right game is a combination of figuring out your tastes and desired experiences. (Do your research).
If you want to look at this in context, take a look at the difference between Bluebeard’s Bride and Pathfinder. Bluebeard’s Bride is a fantastic game of self exploration, horror, and deep, emotional feelings created by Whitey “Strix” Beltran, Sarah Doom, and Marissa Kelly. Pathfinder is a reworking of the D20 engine used by the 3rd edition of Dungeons and Dragons published by Paizo. It’s intent is to offer a different take on the high adventure storytelling provided in most fantasy RPGs. These are two very different games that provide different experiences.
Very different games provide different experiences for different players and that’s perfectly acceptable and expected. If every game provided the same experience, we wouldn’t have the variety of games and systems that have created the market we all share. Finding the right game is a combination of figuring out your tastes and desired experiences. (Do your research).
Myth #3
“Every gaming table is the same”
This one is also a doozy. There’s an idea floating around the game sphere that every player is compatible at every table. This is supported by organized play activities and groups, but it’s not exactly that simple. People (spoiler alert) are complicated clusters of motivations and desires.
Balancing the motivations and desires of an entire table full of people is a complicated balancing act. Everyone games for a different reason. Understanding the differences in each other person at the table is going to make life a lot less complicated for you and the people around you. The other thing to consider is that some people are just not compatible with each other.
This shouldn’t be a shock to you, we all have people that we don’t get along with. It’s maddening to think that you would want to spend more time with people you don’t get along with in an activity designed for leisure. Finding the right group of people to play with is tricky, and it’s probably going to involve some compromises for everyone to have a good time. Never compromise your safety or well being for the sake of a game.
Those are 3 gaming myths, and if you all like these, we’ll do another batch. Game on, Game Fans.
This one is also a doozy. There’s an idea floating around the game sphere that every player is compatible at every table. This is supported by organized play activities and groups, but it’s not exactly that simple. People (spoiler alert) are complicated clusters of motivations and desires.
Balancing the motivations and desires of an entire table full of people is a complicated balancing act. Everyone games for a different reason. Understanding the differences in each other person at the table is going to make life a lot less complicated for you and the people around you. The other thing to consider is that some people are just not compatible with each other.
This shouldn’t be a shock to you, we all have people that we don’t get along with. It’s maddening to think that you would want to spend more time with people you don’t get along with in an activity designed for leisure. Finding the right group of people to play with is tricky, and it’s probably going to involve some compromises for everyone to have a good time. Never compromise your safety or well being for the sake of a game.
Those are 3 gaming myths, and if you all like these, we’ll do another batch. Game on, Game Fans.
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