In amongst all of the prep for WittCon, FOPCon, and all of the other X-Cons around here, I've found myself in something of a quandary.
Y'see, there's the ongoing debate out here in geekdom between "rules heavy" and "rules light" systems. It's gotten to the point where not even the best of geeks can truly draw lines between the two factions.
I guess that former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said it best (in reference to porn, no less): "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it." Personally, I can't really define what makes a rules-light or rules-heavy system, but I can tell them apart when I see them.
Therein lies the problem. Recently, I mentioned my excitement for Steve Kenson's new game, Icons. Coupled with WEGS, Call of Cthulhu, and now (thanks to Will's zeal for it) Savage Worlds, I've been enjoying "rules-light" systems more and more. Fundamentally, the idea is to throw together a character, toss some dice, and have fun. However, I wasn't overly impressed with the True-20 system, which is rules-light in the same fashion.
However, even putting aside nostalgia, I still love Heroes Unlimited...a decidedly rules-heavy (and Byzantine) game. And my affection for D&D...well, how does that one fit at all? D&D has a ton of rules, feats, powers, and the like, but with the Insider program, it's immensely easy to navigate, and is quick around the table. Plus, I'm even less of a fan of games like GURPS and Rolemaster, which are incredibly bloated with rules and system abuses.
So, by now, you can see my quandary. Where do I fall on the grand-spectrum of gaming? No, it probably doesn't matter, but it's nice to be able to know what you actually like!
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