Monday, 25 May 2015
10th Anniversary Classic Rant: RPGPundit's Unbearable Lexicon Rule
Inspired by Borgstrom, yet again:
RPGPundit's Unbearable Lexicon Rule:
If an RPG contains a lexicon, glossary, or dictionary of system terms that even experienced roleplayers actually have to read to have any idea what the rules are about (i.e. not just a dictionary of common gaming terms for roleplaying novices), then that game is almost certainly an unplayable pile of shit.
There you have it. Its OK if you add one or two new terms, reflecting new mechanics or stats that are specific to your game; but if you have renamed every normal mechanic into something unrecognizable just for shits and giggles, or have added so many new mechanics that an experienced gamer won't have a fucking clue what you're talking about on any given page without referring to your in-game dictionary, you've fucked up, laddie-buck.
RPGPundit
Currently Smoking: Lorenzetti Solitario Volcano + H&H's Beverwyck
(Originally posted February 20th, 2006)
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Just to evaluate your ideas I usually try to think of exceptions to any of your dictums; on rare occasions I can (though you might not agree) but this one seems so sound that I am not going to bother. I think you are right on the mark.
ReplyDeleteI notice you say "system terms." Am I correct in assuming this would not include a glossary of terms relating to the world the game takes place in?
You could expand the rule to those as well. There's nothing more bothersome than a game setting where you're expected to learn some made-up word for an everyday item.
DeleteWhy am I thinking about White Wolf all of a sudden ?
DeleteThose were early offenders, yes.
ReplyDeleteGygax's Dangerous Journeys
ReplyDeleteJorune...but they had a lot of stuff that wasn't everyday stuff. Whether it was playable or not is a separate issue.
ReplyDeleteI might add that a lot of people who write...shouldn't. Many are the RPG rules that leave steps out and make things more confusing than they ought to be because the writer didn't edit, edit, edit for clarity. Examples are useful, too. And both in work and game writing I find that the best thing was to have someone who is pretty ordinary and a non-expert read through my text and circle anything that is not absolutely clear. I always assume the fault is in my writing and not in the reader. Writing has to work for the intended reader and not the other way around.
And look how badly put together that next-to-last sentence is...embarrassing.
DeleteI do agree that when clarity is lacking the fault is generally with the writer, and that it's stupid to intentionally make your writing less clear than it potentially can be (without compromising the value of your purpose).
DeleteAbbreviations, too...there are games where I constantly have to look up what this or that stands for. Palladium, for instance: why it's "PB" rather than just Beauty or even BEAU, or "PS" instead of STR is beyond me.
ReplyDelete