Don't Optimize the Fun Out of Your Game
When we focus on productivity at the expense of the experience, we risk destroying the fun.
In our quest for running great games, we constantly find ways to boost our game mastering productivity. Avoid creating entire worlds. Focus on your next session. Use static damage. Generalize statblocks but vary the flavor. All of these can be great advice. But when we focus on productivity at the expense of the experience, we risk destroying the fun.
Many players cannot help approaching a game as an optimization puzzle. What gives the most reward for the least risk? What strategy provides the highest chance – or even a guaranteed chance – of success? Given the opportunity, players will optimize the fun out of a game.1
My hypothesis is that “given the opportunity, game masters will optimize the fun out of a game.” We’re always looking to save time, reduce effort, and streamline our work as GMs. A noble quest. A flawed quest. Let’s not forget that as game masters, we’re still players in the game. It’s just a bit of a different game we get to play. It starts long before the actual game session.
Think about what you enjoy. Some of your favorite parts of preparing and running tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons are likely to be inefficient or even laborious. That doesn’t mean they’re not worth the time for you. We each decide that for ourselves.
D&D Beyond is incredibly powerful and streamlines a lot of the game but I think it takes the magic away. I enjoy worldbuilding and thinking beyond the next session or even the current campaign. I like spending some time on lore that interests me but players can entirely ignore. I enjoy adding details that don’t always advance the story but bring the world to life. I like having somewhat unique statblocks for each monster. Despite being an advocate for technology in our hobby, I prefer rolling physical dice and referencing physical books. For me, these are all examples of play that I don’t want to optimize my way out of.
No one wants to waste their time on something that’s “not worth it.” But I’d encourage you to step back and think about what’s actually “not worth it” for you. What “sub-optimal” areas of game mastering are part of the fun for you?
Don’t optimize the fun out of your game.
Game on.
- “Water Finds a Crack” by Soren Johnson in Soren Johnson’s Game Design Journal (2011 June 12)↩︎