thread: 2006-02-27 : Unpopular Ideas for 2006 #1
On 2006-03-01, paulkdad wrote:
Lisa,
The question is one of "fixed" character elements. As a designer, can you structure the game in such a way that fixed elements are used in structured conflicts in a way that leads to tough choices (i.e., you want both, but you can only have one)? Stats are one way to do that.
It isn't a question of trendiness (if that's even a word). Personally, I cringe from the "unpopular" word in the title of this thread, because that is the province of the critic. If I wanted to read the opinions of critics, I'd go to RPGnet. IMO, declaring something "unfashionable" or "unpopular" is ridiculous, in a designers forum.
This makes TB go "I disagree"
It seems to me that "Given games X Y and Z, it looks like hit points are more popular this year than they have been recently. What is with that?" is a perfectly valid question to ask talking entirely about design.
Popular/Unpopular are countable things. You can use them without expressing an opinion.
This makes BL go "Design = Critique"
The act of designing a game is necessarily a critique of other games. Designers are harsh critics, and full of opinions. Without opinions, how could we design?
