Pitching New Game Systems
Ars Ludi has an interesting article all about how to pitch new games to a group. It details the difference in pitching the setting vs the system itself, and the difficulties presented by how vastly different games can be from each other these days. I’m more of the first camp (mentioned in the article): advertising what’s cool about the setting to the group, and then I might, if I feel it’s necessary, advertise what’s cool and unique about the system. Sometimes, however, it’s best to just let the mechanics speak for themselves in play rather than try to explain them to the players beforehand.
But nowadays, if we’re talking about new-fangled indie / story / fringe games, all those tidy assumptions that go along with the traditional model go out the window. Maybe there’s a GM, maybe there isn’t. Maybe you have your own character, maybe you don’t. Maybe you have the ability to freely make up facts about the universe, maybe you don’t. Maybe you roll dice, maybe you flip coins, maybe there are no randomizers at all…
Read the rest at ars ludi
