Some thoughts on the place of criticism in the world of #ttrpg and why I have decided to stop reviewing other people's games.'nhttps://tasker.land/2025/11/13/on-criticism-and-ttrpgs/
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@Printdevil That's an interesting question though... Indie games are not built for long-term campaigns and I'm not sure that PbtA games are either. D&D games still are but I'm not sure how many people get there and OSR people make a lot of noise about long-term play but then most of their stuff is geared towards low-level and short-term campaigns of no more than 5-10 sessions.
I think gamers of our generation still believe that 2 year campaigns are the gold standard but I'm not sure of others.
@Taskerland @Printdevil The PbtA I've looked at most closely is Monsterhearts, and that has an explicit endpoint. You can port one or more characters from there to a new campaign, but it's definitely a separate thing.
I find I actually prefer shorter campaigns but that may be because I enjoy inventing a world more than running in it. -
@RogerBW That's funny... for all that boardgamers piss and moan about monopoly, I bet the family monopoly set gets more than 6 outings. @Printdevil
I've played my box of Senet that I got for the KS1 history "Egypt" a damn sight more than six times.
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@Taskerland @Printdevil The PbtA I've looked at most closely is Monsterhearts, and that has an explicit endpoint. You can port one or more characters from there to a new campaign, but it's definitely a separate thing.
I find I actually prefer shorter campaigns but that may be because I enjoy inventing a world more than running in it.@RogerBW My impression was that they often have quite tight arcs. @Printdevil
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@RogerBW That's funny... for all that boardgamers piss and moan about monopoly, I bet the family monopoly set gets more than 6 outings. @Printdevil
Scratch any grog complaining about Monopoly and you'll usually bring up some weird old family wound about being beaten by an elder brother at it 30 years earlier and all games since "haven't used the proper acquisition rules"
Then they'll go post about their players on Dragonsfoot.
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Scratch any grog complaining about Monopoly and you'll usually bring up some weird old family wound about being beaten by an elder brother at it 30 years earlier and all games since "haven't used the proper acquisition rules"
Then they'll go post about their players on Dragonsfoot.
@Printdevil @Taskerland Well, I'd say I feel seen, but I don't think I have any old wounds and I tend to look at the game's history (and the fact that the other half, the variant designed not to be boring, was ignored when it was stolen). And to be fair I don't tend to talk or even think about Monopoly unless someone else brings up the subject.
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@Printdevil @Taskerland Well, I'd say I feel seen, but I don't think I have any old wounds and I tend to look at the game's history (and the fact that the other half, the variant designed not to be boring, was ignored when it was stolen). And to be fair I don't tend to talk or even think about Monopoly unless someone else brings up the subject.
I don't enjoy monopoly either but there's a definite pathology about it amongst grogs
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I don't enjoy monopoly either but there's a definite pathology about it amongst grogs
@Printdevil Weird thing is that Diplomacy is one of the well-springs from which RPGs originally formed but grogs aren't all that interested in it. Too much talking. @RogerBW
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Some thoughts on the place of criticism in the world of #ttrpg and why I have decided to stop reviewing other people's games.
On Criticism and TTRPGs
After some amount of reflection, I have decided to stop reviewing RPGs. At least for the foreseeable future. There are a number of motivators behind this decision but the first and foremost is that I am burned out to the point where the sense of fatigue has begun to filter over into other areas. Having…
Taskerland (tasker.land)
@Taskerland Full sympathies and understanding. I do you hope you keep up some RPG writing about your own group's experiences, though!
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@Taskerland Full sympathies and understanding. I do you hope you keep up some RPG writing about your own group's experiences, though!
@mjrrpg Thank you
and thanks for the comment! -
@Taskerland I've enjoyed your reviews, very much, as a fan not only of RPGs but of reviews as their own form. They reflect more insight and experience than most, and you've always been clear and honest about your tastes.
(Fortunately, I managed to miss your efforts as a critic, or maybe I just burned those memories from my brain.
️)Sorry to see it stop being worth it, but glad to see you take this step for your sanity and resources both worldly and personal.
@SJohnRoss Thank you
I was mostly a critic under my wallet name. Mostly films and books. -
@Printdevil Weird thing is that Diplomacy is one of the well-springs from which RPGs originally formed but grogs aren't all that interested in it. Too much talking. @RogerBW
Diplomacy, Credo, there are/were lots of talky games, but I think the talking wasn't as interesting as war-dollies, t-shirts, smelling of stale companioniship and carry outs.
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Diplomacy, Credo, there are/were lots of talky games, but I think the talking wasn't as interesting as war-dollies, t-shirts, smelling of stale companioniship and carry outs.
@Printdevil @Taskerland @RogerBW Is it the talking? or the deviousness and counter-plotting?
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@Printdevil That's an interesting question though... Indie games are not built for long-term campaigns and I'm not sure that PbtA games are either. D&D games still are but I'm not sure how many people get there and OSR people make a lot of noise about long-term play but then most of their stuff is geared towards low-level and short-term campaigns of no more than 5-10 sessions.
I think gamers of our generation still believe that 2 year campaigns are the gold standard but I'm not sure of others.
@Taskerland @Printdevil For my group, a campaign is a maximum of two three hour sessions. We will revisit a game but usually with new characters.
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@Printdevil @Taskerland @RogerBW Is it the talking? or the deviousness and counter-plotting?
@BigJackBrass Diplomacy is a game with very simple explicit mechanics sat atop of a very complex social system that rewards play-acting when you play-by-post anonymously. A lot of people are opposed to ttrpgs being like that. @Printdevil @RogerBW
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@BigJackBrass Diplomacy is a game with very simple explicit mechanics sat atop of a very complex social system that rewards play-acting when you play-by-post anonymously. A lot of people are opposed to ttrpgs being like that. @Printdevil @RogerBW
And we are not at home to those people.
