Supplement Rant

So the group is discussing starting a new game, more on why later, when one of my fellow players ask “Are we using the supplements?” My heart fell a little...

See, generally speaking, I hate rule supplements

I understand that game companies and individual designers make their money by selling books. I don’t begrudge them that. I will purchase the core rules for any game that interests me, happily handing over my hard earned cash for the entertainment, adventure and imagination that these books offer. Furthermore, should a game come out with some sort of supplement for, oh say a unique setting or a book of equipment, I will often times hand over more cash for it if it interests me.

It’s when these supplements include more rules for the game that I start getting pissed. I don’t want to lug three or four or five rule books around to play a game. I don't want to index my character sheet to reference which book stuff is in.

When designing a game is it too much to ask for the designers to put some thought into the process and include all of the rules in a single rulebook? Then publish their fluff books?

Sure, I get it when a game comes out and several years later, the game designer, having though up a whole lot of new and cool stuff wants to release a supplement for the game. I am actually ok with that. I’ll buy that book.

I am fine with releasing a generic rule set, then specific setting and source material and specific rules in another book.

What I don't need is six supplements with twelve pages of addition rules, skills, feats, training and or equipment packaged with two hundred and fifty pages of background, fluff and filler! Put those twelve pages into the core rules where they belong and if your background, fluff and filler book is interesting enough, I'll buy it.

This is annoying people!

Have you ever forked over forty bucks for a core rule book, then thirty more for a players guide, then thirty more for class supplement book, then thirty more for a racial powers handbook and after spending a hundred and thirty dollars the game company announces a new edition!

Other than a grab for money, what it the point of a new edition?

“Oh, we are fixing the flawed game system to make a better experience during play.”

Really fuckers? You didn’t notice that the game system had problems before you released twenty, now obsolete, rule supplements?

I will say that most game companies don’t make it their business plan to screw over their consumers. There is this game company, a bunch of spell casters who live by the seashore, you know who I mean, who's whole goal is now a blatant grab for as much money as they can squeeze out of their players!

This company, who was very creative and innovative back in the day, had a good game with lots of supplements, source material and history. Then they changed their core rules. Predictably then came the releases of supplement after supplement.

Not only do these supplements have additional rule material, but it’s the same recycled crap from the last rule system! What happened to creativity? What happened to imagination? This is role-playing isn’t it? Isn’t imagination supposed to be part of that?

How is this new version of the Dracula rip-off setting any different from any of the other Dracula rip-off settings you have already published?

We are gamers' people! I don’t know what I’m more insulted over; some company recycling a setting for their new rule system or lazy gamers who buy it. Again!

It’s a fucking setting! Nothing has changed!

Don’t drink the Kool-Aid people!

‘But they included setting specific rules for the new system, I have to buy the new version.’

No you don’t moron! It’s the same fucking setting! Things work the same way! Make up the setting specific rules based on the new rules and old supplement! This isn’t Tax Law! You don’t have to follow the official version!

'But if we make up our own rules, they might be flawed and upset the balance of the game.'

You know what? GOOD!

I want my game unbalance! I don’t want a simple, mathematically liner progression that makes the threat level my character faces exactly even throughout his entire career. If that were what I wanted, I’d never accept advancement and stay low level! The GM could give the monsters different names, different descriptions, a couple swappable special powers and we could have the same fight over and over and over again!

I like being the low level porn star spell caster, relying on the warrior type to keep me alive till it's time to blow my wad in one encounter!

Nap time for the mage!

I also like working my way up to the high level caster when the warrior type gets to stand by and watch while I blow shit up!

And if you just cannot deal with having your carefully crafted, balanced game disrupted by a flaw in the rules you made up… then fix it. This isn’t that hard people.

Murphy’s law states that if you mess with something for very long, you will screw it up! What do you think all these supplements are doing? Messing with shit! Knowing they will screw it up. Why? So they can declare the system broken and come out with another new edition and recycle all their old crap yet again!

Fortunately the GM decided on core rules only, so we're all good. Sorry about the rant.

Keep rolling my friends.