Re: (TFT) A little moralistic digression...

[JodyM529@aol.com]

In a message dated 6/15/00 3:08:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
hailmelee@hotmail.com writes:

<< Why you subscribe or why you lurk or why you want to participate? >>

JPB:

Actually, this is an example of why I subscribe AND lurk BUT rarely 
participate.  I'm afraid I just haven't the stamina to personally duke it out 
in the endless debates.  For all that tho' I have to say I've seen some 
incredibly good rules ideas posted on this list (which is why I CONTINUE to 
subscribe and lurk).  It's just that I hate to see the  good ideas all locked 
up.  To say that this whole idea of creativity versus theft in the fantasy 
gaming genre is a complex, multi-dimensional issue is easily the 
understatement of the year.  I could blab on for about 10 or so pages on that 
topic alone but to save anyone actually reading this all the associated eye 
strain I'll just confine it to a few comments.  What the hell is true 
originality?  Is it possible (or even desirable) in this genre at this 
point?.  I can't recall one idea I've seen printed in any FRPG (and I have 
the obligatory closet full) that I haven't seen printed in some form 
somewhere else.  I personally think RQ (a more neutral example, hopefully) is 
an excellent and very imaginative concept.  The background material is really 
first class, magic is very well thought out and the combat system is, at 
least, more sensible than D&D.  But is this game original?  Maybe the 
question should be, 'could RQ have possibly been written before D&D?'   I 
think the answer is no.  It's not like that's a conclusion I'm really 
delighted with but look at RQ's systems and D&D's and tell me RQ didn't 
'borrow' quite a bit.  What constitutes a rip-off is really in the eye of the 
beholder.  As far as I know TSR never sued Chaosium but what if , instead, RQ 
first came out in the mid-late 80s when TSR was at the height of its reign of 
terror?  Think Chaosium would have stood a chance then?  Should the final 
arbiter of elusive originality really be the size of your enemy's war chest?

Jody
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