Thread by @RuleOfThule

I'm getting too many followers—cramping my quiet, shy aesthetic—so it's time for a thread.

TTRPGs are DISCOVERED rather than CREATED.🧵

Every TTRPG, by virtue of its inherent qualities, begins with an establishing question. The ANSWER to that question forms the game's Hierarchy of concepts.

As soon as this Hierarchy is found, there's almost nothing left to do but DISCOVER what supports it (and what doesn't).

Example: ACKS. @archon asks e.g. "What if the adventuring of BX took place in a more structured, fully-realized, systematic overworld?"

The answer forms the Hierarchy of ACKS, and he did the HARD work of supporting that Hierarchy (brilliantly imo) by "discovering" what worked.

The implication of DISCOVERY instead of CREATION means that the Hierarchy of the game—the principle that defines its core concepts—is the most important thing to find.

We can dig anywhere, but we would prefer to dig OVER GOLD.

It also implies that @JohnsonJeffro and the BrOSR (unironically) deserve great credit. It's more than just playing the game; they identified the HIERARCHY of the game and INSISTED on it, thereby truly re-DISCOVERING it.

If you don't believe that, his book makes it clear.

The BrOSR does not claim inventing hex maps or wilderness checks or whatever other thing someone did at some previous point. They deserve credit for honing in on the game's Hierarchy, finding Gygax's original path.

#ThankYouJeffro

WHY do Hierarchies reduce game creation to game DISCOVERY?

The Hierarchy is an ordered set of principles that create inescapable constraints. These constraints lead us, eventually, to a series of NON-DECISIONS. Creating the game means following where the Hierarchy leads us.

Where does CREATIVITY come in? If I give the same Hierarchy to 10 designers, they'll go off in different directions. Different aspects of the Hierarchy will capture their imagination, and their energies will go in that direction.

This is one reason there are so many BX clones!

BX is almost viewed as a "template" game. But SO MANY players experience BX and start to think of it as incomplete.

The designers left it incomplete. There's stuff left on the table to discover! People who build games must have this exploration instinct.

Why does any of this matter?

Central insights:

1. A truly new game will require a fundamentally NEW Hierarchy not yet explored.
2. Game mechanics are not game concepts; they can SUPPORT game concepts. This distinction will sting you if you don't see it.
(cont...)

3. Building a game means MINING its Hierarchy to discover the game. Thankless hard work; be prepared!
4. Creativity cannot change the game fundamentally; it can only change HOW the Hierarchy is supported.
(cont...)

5. A game can be judged on COMPLETENESS if its Hierarchy is clear. Is there more left to mine? Incomplete!
6. Don't get too carried away with 5) because amassing rules text will eventually unbalance the Hierarchy! That's not support; it's sabotage!
(cont...)

7. Most important of all, the Hierarchy is there TO BE SERVED. Understanding the Hierarchy lets us FOCUS our efforts to more perfectly support it.

IDENTIFY what you're making and then surrender your efforts to that vision.

While I appreciate and love the BrOSR's (rightful) elevation of AD&D, I think that AD&D's amazing design can be a meta-template for a whole class of future games that can be just as amazing.

I hunger for this realized future, and I want us all to make it there.

If you like game design, especially when it comes to TTRPGs, this () is where I write extensively on the topic.

You can thank my gracious supporters! They inspire me to continue with the highest standard of quality. primevalpatterns.substack.com

The shortlist of people to follow to be informed, mindful, and aware of TTRPG's future comeback: @NotJonMollison, @JohnsonJeffro, @Bdubs1776, @LL_929, @McGowanJohnN, @DunderMoose, @AlchemicRaker, @Crossface02, @ashofcreativity, @MrBCWalker