It is an interesting question today. Unfortunately, it is an interesting question without an interesting answer from me. I read this question and thought of all the goodness that I am going to get to read from others today. Then I thought to myself, what is it that I look for. Then I realised that this was not an easy or quick solution, something I could pontificate about. And here is why.
I approach each game with an open mind
I do. I enjoy reading games. To continue this enjoyment, I do not prejudge them and I read them without expectation. I never read the combat section first. I start at page 1 and read through to the final page. I let the game itself surprise me with its secrets. Some games are great, some not so great. But I let them tell me the story as it goes. I do not grab one section and then judge the entire game on the way that section is presented. Even then I am sure that sometimes I get the games value wrong. I read Savage Worlds with an open heart and just can’t stand it. But there are players galore out there that love it and play it religiously who tell me how wrong I truly am.
And you know what?
The people that tell me I am wrong about Savage Worlds are probably 100% right. You know why? Because to know a game you really have to play it. Despite how grim things may look on a read through, you have to play the game before you can truly judge its worth. I have always been on the lookout for a game of Savage Worlds to try just so I can find out if I was right or wrong. If you read yesterday’s post, you will realise that I love discovery in my games. That means I am never going to just look for one thing in a game to play it. I am going to always consider the whole before I make a judgement.
So there you have it. In my opinion, this is a boring answer to a good question, and I apologise for that. But I really do not hunt down a particular piece of game to see if it aligns with my ideals. I play a game and love it for what it is. Sometimes in playing games over time, I find things I don’t like that I thought I would. So in reality, the proof of the game is in the playing and prejudging is not going to help me in any way shape or form. Keep rolling…