Thread by @2ndLevelBard

I've been thinking more about this, and about the surrounding conversation in @Alphastream's thread, and I have a few further Thoughts.

Some #rpgtheoryjuly musings incoming.

https://twitter.com/2ndLevelBard/status/1152335325752168457

#DnD's lore is tied to its chargen mechanics in a supremely satisfying way. The "choose one from column A and one from column B" of selecting race + class is VERY MUCH a Feature of the system.

What's brilliant about it is it provides just enough restriction to spark creativity in players. This feels counterintuitive to people who don't like this type chargen, but the possibilities of recombining those two axes are genuinely inspiring.

For many, many players, freeform/classless chargen is too open-ended to inspire; there's nothing to hold onto.

Playbook-style chargen, where you're making ONE major choice, can feel too restrictive.

Two axes (maybe three, if you consider background) is a creative sweet spot.

Now, understand, I love both freeform and playbook-style systems. (I was, for my sins, a GURPS gearhead in my youth.)

What I want to illuminate is that the market for those will always be a little narrower. It's a niche appeal.

For most people, "You can play anything you can imagine!" isn't a selling point. It's standing at the edge of a void of creative terror.

At the other end, a list of archetypes mapped to playbooks is awesome - for people who enjoy thinking about archetypes in story.

I think both of these appeal a WHOLE LOT to those of us who like to ponder story on a meta level. That maps to most people who are GMs and designers and theorists, especially if we're also creatives in other media.

That's a little TOO meta for many of the folks who are into TTPTGs. For them, the question isn't "what role do I play in this Story" but "who would I wish I was in a fantasy world?"

A system that facilitates that with a robust, wide-ranging menu of options is 👩‍🍳💋.

This same idea applies to systems that do some specific type of storytelling "better" than D&D. You can see this playing out in the folks who say "But I don't really want *mechanics* for that."

I love Fate; there may be no better RPG for mechanizing the elements of narrative.

But "everything has Aspects" is a SUPER challenging headspace to get into, and it's not intuitive for a lot of players. Especially if they're not used to thinking at story-view levels.

When the rogue goes up to the rooftop in the rain, invoking the Aspect "slippery tiles" requires a different lens and focus than the GM saying, "Okay, make a Dex save to avoid falling down." And for lots of players, that shift is just Too Weird.

None of this is to throw shade on indie RPGs, or storygames, or any of the brilliant, innovative systems that are making the hobby awesome and diverse. I am #polygamerous; I love it all.

I hope merely to shine a light on why so many people are playing D&D even if it isn't the "best" system for what they want to do.

It isn't because they're stupid, or unimaginative. It isn't ONLY because D&D is the default. And it's not necessarily because they don't know better.

#DnD's place as the 1000-lb gorilla of the hobby isn't merely a coincidence. There are reasons for its enduring appeal, and why people go back to it.

And people who look to it with an eye of "nice dungeon crawl, what else can it do?" aren't Doin It Rong.

When you stan indie RPGs by turning up your nose at D&D, you're the insufferable foodie at the barbecue who won't shut up about artisinal cheese and homemade sauce. Those things are great, but these people just want some colby jack and Sweet Baby Ray's. AND THEY'RE NOT WRONG.

Don't be that guy.

Don't be the person who, when your friends say they're in the mood for pizza, insists on going to the super-authentic Italian place for bruschetta instead. Even if it's "better."

D&D is a really top-notch pizza, and you can put a lot of different stuff on it.

And I should also add: it's totally okay if pizza's not your thing. You don't have to eat it, and you should find other people who share your tastes.

But being mad that pizza is popular and lots of people like it and that's what your friends always want is a bad damn look.