One of the weirdest things I have had to do in the course of responding to questions about Threadbare is explain…

One of the weirdest things I have had to do in the course of responding to questions about Threadbare is explain that, after 4 years of development, I am not going to add back a combat mechanic.

I actually spent time this morning suggesting other games a gentleman could play that would have the mechanics he’s looking for.

I should make an update about how combat doesn’t work in this game… and also how combat is definitely not something I see as a “for adults” game. (Kids are waaaay more violent in their play than adults. If anything, non-combat games are more adult/mature than fighty ones. It’s just that adults don’t know how to play, so they make up a bunch of incredibly boring ways to fight, which kids don’t want to do.)

15 thoughts on “One of the weirdest things I have had to do in the course of responding to questions about Threadbare is explain…

  1. Well done. It’s difficult to stick to your guns when people want something. But often those kinds of compromise can really damage your original vision.

    I can’t imagine how many times Vincent Baker has been asked to create an initiative system for AW.

  2. OMG, yes.

    I’ve been asked numerous times to remake Threadbare using different mechanics (Fate, Savage Worlds, even d20). I think people who do this want to take the setting and use it with their favorite mechanics, and that is very flattering. But it’s also not the game I’m writing.

    It does indicate a market that exists for future possibilities, though.

  3. Wow. That’s like, “Let’s take this unique, beautiful thing and make it just like everything else.” No thanks. Threadbare is great without combat.

  4. Stephanie Bryant This brings up an interesting question about how GMs run rpgs. I know for a FACT that I have run many games contrary to their original design (e.g. running numenera like Dungeon World).

    There’s more to a game than mechanics, which is what makes rulesbooks so hard to write. Even if the mechanics are adhered to, most games require a special flow or mindset to play as intended., This is VERY difficult to communicate using only text. Excited to see the resulting “flow” of threadbare.

  5. I have at least two sets of tactical miniatures rules for making toys fight each other. There is not a lack of content in that arena if people want that.

  6. What I find most fascinating is the diversity of games and styles. I like Threadbare and I like LotFP. It is a privilege to play in such different realms, and as players we need to respect the creator’s intent. These worlds and games are more akin to works of art than consumables.

    If still you cannot live without fighting teddy bears, no one stops you from adding stuff or re-skinning. Like no one stops you from buying a Mondrian and recolor it at will 🙂

  7. This is just a lack of ingenuity on that guy’s part. If you like a setting, use it. If you like a mechanic, use it. If you like a [random thing], then use that [random thing] however you want. Nowhere in any table top RPG product that I have ever bought was there a rule or disclaimer stating that I had to play with it in one exact way. You find what you like, and use it.

    For example, I once ran a superhero-type game (Mutants and Masterminds inspired) in a mythical earth setting (a la mythical King Arthur crossed with Dept. of S.H.I.E.L.D.), and I used combat and initiative mechanics from yet another game (whose name escapes me at the moment). The end result? Fun had by all.

    If anything, I plan on taking some of the concepts and settings of Threadbare, and seeing how they mesh with other RPGs whose mechanics focus more on storytelling. Should be interesting.

  8. I am not sure, and I’m pretty cynical when I think too much about it.

    All I’m gonna say is that no woman has suggested I reintroduce a combat option to the game, but plenty of men have suggested both that and numerous other systems I “should” use for it.

  9. Stephanie Bryant I have a suggestion, you should ignore all suggestions and make the system the way you think will work best. 😉

  10. I don’t remember the last time I played an RPG where a violent confrontation didn’t occur on a regular basis. I think it’s often because ‘violent confrontation’ is the default action sequence in gaming due to the preponderance of rules on that subject versus most other action sequences. Even in Fate games, though, players are pretty cavalier about dishing out violence.

    Mind you, my two published Fate games so far are focused on cats fighting supernatural threats and medieval knights fighting aliens, so violence is an expected action mode for them.

  11. Yeah. The first time I started thinking about non combat games, my friend Justin explained that basic game design concept to me. If the game has a bunch of rules for it, players will think it’s important and what they should do.

  12. Stephanie Bryant Yup! If you don’t specify rules for it, you’re making it VERY clear that this isn’t a priority for your game. Hence why Mythic Mortals ONLY supports combat. No stealth/lighting/vision rules for Feng Shui.

    Over the past year I’ve discovered an immense joy in games that have a narrow focus and accomplish specific goals, rather than a game that tries to do everything. It’s one reason that generic systems just don’t interest me.

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