Under the Hood – Reading vs. Playing

Reading vs. Playing
By The Warden

Not but one hour ago, I finished running my first game of the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Game. It is also my last game as a Watcher. Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast playing it and I was pleased to see the mechanics I had read and gushed over months ago come to life and fulfill exactly what they set out to do at the table. It was just a bit more complex than I was looking to run.

It’s a funny side effect of gaming as a hobby. Perhaps it’s safe to say each of us – seeing as we’re dedicated enough to the hobby to read online columns on RPG sites on our down time – have far more rulebooks read than games we have played. My own collection is sparse compared to what I would like (boy, how many of us state that and nearly get slapped for it) and there are probably 65% of them never opened at the table. Of the remaining third, most of them, save for core rulebooks, have only been referred to for the occasional tidbit on a particular monster, kingdom, NPC, or whatever. The purpose of these books is to augment my collection of books in the event I should need them. I’m fully aware it might never be played.

That’s not to diminish their impact. Every book – from supplement to adventure – has a part to play in getting us inspired to play, design our own quests, and steal bits and pieces according to our own settings. Considering the role of a supplement is to inspire players and GMs alike, I’d say that’s mission accomplished, yes? That’s why I never feel ashamed about the percentage of books on my shelf gone unplayed. One way or another, everything on my shelf has gone on to create something grand in a completely different game.

In certain cases, there are many campaigns and systems I wish I had run or played with the fervor it deserved. Planescape being one of them, Earthdawn 1^st edition the other. During my failed efforts at film school, I read my Earthdawn hardcover edition repeatedly to the point of converting it into a softcover. I have nearly every single Planescape supplement, adventure, and boxed set ever released (including some non-Planescape supplements taking place in the planes) and it’s seen as much dice action as Earthdawn. In other words, maybe a couple of games. Yes, I have thought of picking them up again on numerous occasions, but they’re pushed aside by the prospect of playing another game or getting caught up in reading yet another system to add to my growing collection.

So when two of my fiancée’s cousins saw the Marvel Heroic RPG book sitting on my shelf and begged me to run it for them, I knew this was a chance to try it at least once. Both of them are eighteen and new to RPGs, meaning I’ve taken them under my wing to expose them to as much roleplaying as possible before they choose to walk their own path. Before I knew it, some of my experienced gaming friends wanted in on the action and, as I said before, it all came to a close just over an hour ago. I would gladly play it again as a player, but doubt I will run another as the Watcher.

THE ART OF ROLEPLAYING GAMES

Whenever I wrap up a game at my house, I make a point of taking a walk to reflect on how it all went down, where I may have gone wrong, what can be improved for next time, and what went right. Before I had even stepped out my front door, I already knew I never wanted to run this game again, but wasn’t entirely sure why. It’s not like what we played failed to fit my expectations; it truly did. I had not counted on the amount of tracking and note-taking the game required, though that’s not because the game’s text failed to warn me. We barely used the Plot Points to their fullest advantage, didn’t bother with XP, and kept things to a pretty basic level our first time out and still I found it a bit overwhelming for my own style of play.

As much as I feel a need to clarify something about how my brain works and why this game can be overwhelming for me, it’s really not necessary. As much as any of us can vehemently debate the pros of our favourite RPG, it’s not going to convince every single person. Personal taste has a huge factor on our enjoyment of any game. While I can use my poor concentration and mental organizational skills as a reason, it’s moot because it doesn’t fit my style. I’m glad I played it, it was fun, and that’s probably all I’ll ever have to do with it until someone invites me to play a game they’re running.

From the other point of view, I hate reading old school games. They’re a terrible read and clogged with technicalities, bizarre mechanics, and an abundance of charts and details I have no care for, yet I have very fond memories playing those games. Those games sit on my shelf equivalent to the rest.

All of this goes to say I won’t stop buying games I may never play. As a game designer and publisher, I fully understand the majority of people who buy my games will not necessarily play them. The entire review principle many of us rely on for guidance in our game purchases rarely ever stem from the reviewer actually playing the game; they simply read it and posted what they thought based on those reading experiences. It’s a flawed system in a way because these games are meant to be played, not just read.

There are groups of gamers who can comprehend mechanics by text alone and there are at least just as many who cannot. It seems the equivalent, however, to someone who watches a lot of movies and rambles on about how they could write something better on used toilet paper. That doesn’t mean they actually can write something better. Years ago on late night TV, I caught the opening 10 minutes of a film written by Roger Ebert, the film critic, and the reason why I only saw the first 10 minutes is because I couldn’t bear to watch any more. It was one of those films where it was only a matter of time before a bouncy blonde came running in front of the camera for the sheer sake that a bouncy blonde needed to run out in front of the camera. And since there wasn’t any true nudity, I didn’t see the point. I’m a man, I can admit it. Even with the likely possibility he wrote this script before Mr. Ebert became a film critic, I have to admit it’s biased my opinion of his reviews ever since and expressing satisfaction or contention for a game based on reading alone feels very similar.

That makes me a hypocrite as I’ve written reviews based on reading alone. I’ll admit that. So we come to a question we always ask with this column: what’s the point?

APPRECIATION ON MULTIPLE LEVELS

Off the top of my head, I’d vote for complexity as today’s point. Being able to have different experiences in reading and playing a game demonstrates just how complex these games can become and how each of us view our games differently. Perhaps that is what makes them an art form – they translate different emotions to each viewer. The game becomes something we can appreciate on multiple levels, meaning I can appreciate the Marvel Heroic RPG’s presentation and explanation of the rules on a different level from the experience of playing it. It doesn’t change my opinion of the game, just my feelings about playing it. It’s still a welcome addition to my collection.

It’s no different than novels. I have spent the last twenty years trying to read Lord of the Rings and I can’t get through it. For me, it’s a horrifying book and I really have to force myself through it until I can only take so much squabbling over who knows the true history of a valley. On the flip side, I love the movies. Adore them, particularly in how they took elements from the novels and made them into something stunning. Whenever I try to push myself deeper into the novels with the films as guidance, I’m left with the same sense of loathing I’ve always had. As with all my other favourite books, Lord of the Rings sits on my shelf with pride because I can still appreciate what it’s brought to the genre. It’s a part of my collection.

It’s why podcasts have become so vital to the industry, or at least its consumers. Many podcasts provide actual play-by-play recordings of a game, offering us a chance to understand how well a game plays, hence giving us a different review. We can hear exactly where certain players have difficulty accepting certain mechanics or listen to them thrill at how fast combat plays out. Conventions and sponsored weekly events at local gaming stores serve a similar purpose to try out or observe games in action before potentially buying from the same location. In an age of social media, publishers and designers are finding ways to fill a previous gap in game appreciation: understanding how it plays.

It’s just another thing I love about these games and I think it’s something only other gamers can understand. Perhaps my point is just to say that. Yeah, I like the sound of that.