RPGaDay Challenge 2020 - FAVOR

Favor. 

Remember how in the the beginning of this year's RPGaDay event I mentioned that the early word prompts should be interesting and inspiring in order to get one motivated to continue on? This is a perfect example. Favor would have been a great week one or two word. A hundred times more intriguing and evocative than Thread, Couple, or Rest. 

Unfortunately we're now only a few days away from the end of August and I am so bored with this month's prompts I can barely generate any enthusiasm for this entry. Still, the show must go on...

I looked up the meaning of the word and found something curious; though it has multiple definitions, the numerous sources lead with what amounts to "a preference or partiality towards something." As in, you might be in favor of a particular idea or said idea might find favor with you and your friends. 

I immediately began to think of games I favor or which I am in favor of. My next thought was, 'Why do I favor these games?' I also wondered, 'Why am I using the word favor so much all of a sudden? Ah yes, the RPGaDay prompt."

Generally speaking, though there are certainly exceptions, my preference is for genres or settings I enjoy beyond gaming (meaning I also enjoy them in books, comics, films, TV shows, and other media), rules that don't get in the way of storytelling, and some element(s) of the game that feel right for what I am using it for. 

For example, the ALIEN RPG is relatively simple and to the point, with an interesting action economy and Panic system that reflects the combat in the ALIEN films and provides and effective mechanic for horror genre freak outs. 

All these elements also fit Red Dwarf perfectly, and as such the existence of the ALIEN game inspired me to run a Red Dwarf game, in spite of one being horror and one being comedy. Many of the concerns of those two types of stories overlap in ways I've discussed in the past. The main connection is that failure is the key to excitement, not success. At least, not initially. The threat of failure, especially catastrophic failure, it was enhances the successes when they are finally achieved. 

I also favor games where there aren't too many sub-systems branching off from or entangled with the main die mechanic. Basically, I like sub-systems I can drop. If something isn't working or slows the game down, I favor games that make modifying or dropping such systems a fairly easy task. As I have stated before, most games are over-written. Some of my favorite RPGs are only 50-75 pages in length and they're buried in books that are 250+ pages. 

I wish I had more to say but I think that is all for now. 

Luckily this challenge is almost at an end.

Have a great weekend if I don't see you!


AD
Barking Alien