Which games do you like better? Narrow focus or wide focus?

Now, I think some people will consider the some games broad in focus, while other consider the same games narrow in focus.

I think it's good if games are narrow in focus, because then at least you know what you are supposed to do. Example: most fantasy games are narrow in focus. You are an adventurer and you fight monsters and bad people. The location might vary and so do the monsters, but the principle remains the same. That's great. It is certainly better than certain games with a lot of cool ideas, but I have no idea what to do with it.

Broad focus for me.
Even when I really like a narrow focus game, like The Whispering Vault, I almost immediately start kicking down the fences and looking for ways to roam free of the constraints.
Our DCC sessions have yet to visit a dungeon and my games of Call of Cthulhu have had a whole lot of adventures that had nothing to do with the Mythos.

As a Player I hate getting stuck in a rut of all the other Players following some expected path... like the Star Wars campaign where no one would seem to think of anything to do with the setting except join the Rebels and fight the Empire.

Would wide focus be generic/universal rule sets?

Quote from: RunningLaser;806128Would wide focus be generic/universal rule sets?

Those seem more like 'no focus' to me... or focus only as contained by the rules mechanics.
IMO 'broad focus' describes a setting of many possibilities... you could have urban adventures, travel around and explore, pick a specific faction to serve/attack, concentrate on building wealth/reputation/power/territory. Something like Traveller seems wide open.
'narrow' would be something where the rules and setting try to lock down a very specific sort of pursuit... not offering much support for anything beyond that. Shadowrun, at least what I've seen of it, seems to expect the Players to go on 'runs' for 'Mr. Johnson'.

Quote from: RunningLaser;806128Would wide focus be generic/universal rule sets?

I'd consider them tool kits for making games not games in and of themselves. The end results can have be either broad or narrow.

I love both. I write very narrowly focused as well as very wide focused games, and games in-between.

-clash

Quote from: jan paparazzi;806123Example: most fantasy games are narrow in focus. You are an adventurer and you fight monsters and bad people. The location might vary and so do the monsters, but the principle remains the same.

If you believe that most fantasy games (or Sci-Fi games for that matter) are narrow in focus, our experience of fantasy games is so alien as to make understanding of what you mean by a broad focused game difficult. in my expeirence OD&D/AD&D and Runequest are broadly focused fantasy games Even the old Melee/Wizard Fantasy Trip game (the precursor to GURPS) was broad in focus (including leadership and other skills applicable outside arena combat) though most people I know only played it narrowly. Similarly, Traveller and WEG Star Wars are broadly focused games allowing for a wide range of characters and play styles. FASA Star Trek (focused on Star Fleet Officers) is and Flashing Blades (focused on swashbucklers) are relatively narrowly focused.

In general I prefer a broad focused game/system/setting. Though in practice for a single group of players, a narrower focus is often better for getting everyone on the same page character and goal wise.

Quote from: Simlasa;806127Broad focus for me.
Our DCC sessions have yet to visit a dungeon and my games of Call of Cthulhu have had a whole lot of adventures that had nothing to do with the Mythos.

Those games are what I would call narrow focus.

I think DCC classics is about killing monsters and finding loot. Unless you deliberately not do that. Cthulhu is all about investigating the really weird (wether or not it is Lovercraftian) and hoping you survive with your sanity intact.

If you have a clear idea what you are supposed to do, then I find that narrow focus. I think it is easy to get into for newcomers.

For example look at this link. I agree with "Fnord" the ninth post. Maybe, it's not really a good idea to bring in other fora. Well, I do it anyway, just to make clear with what I am trying to point out.

Quote from: Bren;806146If you believe that most fantasy games (or Sci-Fi games for that matter) are narrow in focus, our experience of fantasy games is so alien as to make understanding of what you mean by a broad focused game difficult. in my expeirence OD&D/AD&D and Runequest are broadly focused fantasy games Even the old Melee/Wizard Fantasy Trip game (the precursor to GURPS) was broad in focus (including leadership and other skills applicable outside arena combat) though most people I know only played it narrowly. Similarly, Traveller and WEG Star Wars are broadly focused games allowing for a wide range of characters and play styles. FASA Star Trek (focused on Star Fleet Officers) is and Flashing Blades (focused on swashbucklers) are relatively narrowly focused.

Well, again I consider Traveller not so broadly focused. When I read that game, I instantly knew (within five min of reading) that this game is about explorer and trading with some fighting in it. An ideal game to "Han Solo" your way through the galaxy. It has three focused gamestyles you can use.

Again I think this is positive. I know what to do with it. I like that.

Or maybe it is broad, but also very clear and focused in what it is trying to achieve? Broad, but straightforward?

Ok, maybe I should elaborate a little. When reading into some Savage Worlds settings and some other games the last couple of months I started to notice that most of those games start with what you as player are supposed to do. Of course you can do other things, but you know what I mean. Maybe I am too much brainwashed with all those WoD games, which always start with blathering about the setting and it's themes without ever mentioning what the players are supposed to do?

Quote from: jan paparazzi;806152Those games are what I would call narrow focus.

I think DCC classics is about killing monsters and finding loot. Unless you deliberately not do that. Cthulhu is all about investigating the really weird (wether or not it is Lovercraftian) and hoping you survive with your sanity intact.

That was my point... I prefer 'broad focus' games but will happily widen anything I otherwise like that tries to constrain me; though in our DCC games it has the Players, not I, who have constrained the adventures to the streets of the city... not that it strains the rules any.
CoC has all the bits I need to run Gangbuster games or low-level pulps... or most sorts of horror.

Quote from: jan paparazzi;806153Well, again I consider Traveller not so broadly focused. When I read that game, I instantly knew (within five min of reading) that this game is about explorer and trading with some fighting in it. An ideal game to "Han Solo" your way through the galaxy. It has three focused gamestyles you can use.

I still see Traveller as 'broad'... but, like most 'broad' games, if you read it and get a definite picture of what YOU would like to do with it then I'm sure you can turn it to a 'narrow' focus if you like.

I've never had that "but what am I supposed to do?" problem that I sometimes hear aimed at certain games.

Quote from: Simlasa;806155I still see Traveller as 'broad'... but, like most 'broad' games, if you read it and get a definite picture of what YOU would like to do with it then I'm sure you can turn it to a 'narrow' focus if you like.

Ok, I understand now.

Quote from: Simlasa;806155I've never had that "but what am I supposed to do?" problem that I sometimes hear aimed at certain games.

Yeah, I have that with some nWoD setting material. Right now I am reading both Demon the Descent (a spygnostic technocracy or whatever) and Agents of Oblivion (Savage Worlds) and I see a completely different way of both writing style and the way the books are laid out. Agents of Oblivion has all the skills and gear to support spy gaming and then some more for the supernatural. Demon is ... different. I don't know. Something is bugging me and I can't put my finger on it. Really annoying.

The extreme in narrow-focused gaming is stuff like Dogs in the Vineyard, My Life With Master; stuff that's not even considered an RPG by some around these parts.

Quote from: 3rik;806162The extreme in narrow-focused gaming is stuff like Dogs in the Vineyard, My Life With Master; stuff that's not even considered an RPG by some around these parts.

Both those games have interesting premises but I always assumed I'd have just as much/more fun with them in some less-focused fantasy/horror system where we could divert off to other sorts of adventures if we wanted to.

Am I allowed to weasel out by saying "It depends."?

I prefer to design wide focus settings. But the actual campaigns I run using those settings tend to be narrower in focus.

And the best games I've ever played were very tightly focused indeed.

I wear my glasses when I game....so I like to game "in focus", I guess.\

Beyond that, no idea what the fuck you guys are talking about.