Something else that’s fun about super crunchy games? They’re *predictable*. Not in the “boring, I know what’s going to happen” kind of way but in the “I have a reasonable understanding of the results of my actions” kind of way.
Why does that matter? First, it’s collaborative.
That sounds kind of hippie, doesn’t it? But that’s what is going on when the whole table argues about the airspeed of an unladen swallow, comes to agreement, and applies it to the game. That’s collaboration.
That sounds kind of hippie, doesn’t it? But that’s what is going on when the whole table argues about the airspeed of an unladen swallow, comes to agreement, and applies it to the game. That’s collaboration.
It is not a *manner* of collaboration that suits everyone, and that’s fine, but for a lot of people, that kind of argument to shared resolution is a positive social and intellectual experience.
And in a like minded group? *IT IS!*.
It’s a problem in *mixed* groups, where it is often viewed or characterized as an attempt to “win” conversations, and thus framed as anti-social, so it may be weird to think of it as collaborative, but there it is.
It’s a problem in *mixed* groups, where it is often viewed or characterized as an attempt to “win” conversations, and thus framed as anti-social, so it may be weird to think of it as collaborative, but there it is.
(Aside: Yes, a lot of asshole behavior also gets attempted under this umbrella, but there’s a lot of asshole behavior under our other social tools too, we just forgive it more in the tools we prefer.)
Beyond collaboration, there’s another core truth: there is a certain flavor of nerd who thrills in optimizing systems. In games, sure, but also in life. You see them in any hobby that has been colonized by nerds.
It’s a behavior characterized by breaking things down, analyzing and optimizing. And underneath it is a *joy* in solving puzzles, especially hard puzzles, and for this kind of nerd, the goal is always the Kobyashi Maru.
The thing about the Kobyashi Maru is that it’s *creative*. It applies out of the box thinking to solve a problem, and that’s critical. We have a tendency to think of mechanics-focused thinking as non-creative, but that’s badly out of whack with reality.
Often, the focus on mechanics and systems is a form of information gathering, to create a complete picture that creates *space* for creativity.
This can seem super counter intuitive to someone who approaches creativity differently, so I just ask you to trust me on this.
This can seem super counter intuitive to someone who approaches creativity differently, so I just ask you to trust me on this.
For a category of players, the investment in crunch is to *get it out of the way* to focus on the fun (and the fun may vary, but it will often be familiar things like compelling characters, cool stories and awesome scenes).
If you want to see the truth of this, listen to stories from some of the ancient Champions games. They’re fantastic, and they are NOT ABOUT the mechanics.
All of which is to say: If you don’t enjoy crunchy games, do not assume you know why people who like crunchy games choose them, especially if your assumption is condescending or snobbish.
