Game Design Rule #1: Don’t Design Games for People You Wouldn’t Allow at Your Table
Writing Houses. Writing The Wanker Rue into the chapter on aspects. It looks like this:
Using aspects is fun. It should be fun. Sometimes it’s fun.
Sometimes, a player abuses the rules to make the game fun for him at the expense of everyone else. Ah, wankers.
David Williams (one of the best game design minds in the world) came up with The Wanker Rule. At least, I learned it from him. Here’s how it goes.If you find a way to interpret a rule that clearly damages the play environment, sabotages other people’s fun or is just plain nonsensical, don’t use the rule in that way.In other words, don’t be a wanker.
I fully endorse taking style points from players who decide to be wankers. Of course, a warning is fair. Sometimes, we get caught up in the drama of the moment. Sometimes, our characters’ motivations seep into our own. Sometimes, those “imaginary” characters we play just get the better of us. I understand that. Hell, I’ve been on that end of things. But, we have to remember that what we’re doing is building a story, and sometimes, the hero doesn’t win. Sometimes, the hero loses.
But then, sometimes, the player is just a wanker.
We’ll talk more about this in the Player chapter. Until then, remember the wanker rule. It’s gonna show up again.
Finished writing. Then, I wondered if I needed this section in the book. Who would read it? Would they need to know it? Would they already know it?
Ah, the choices we make. Most players need it. I know that flies in the face of conventional wisdom, but I’ve played with lots of different groups and my opinion, drawn from my experience, is that most people need this advice. There’s a small number who don’t–you may be among them–but even if this rule doesn’t apply to you, or even your group, that doesn’t mean most players are like you.
Like I said above, I’ll talk more about this in the Player chapter. I’ll post that, too.