In Defense of the Garlic Press
The garlic press is a much maligned tool, often found cluttering the back of some drawer in a well-stocked kitchen. As the main cook in my household, I don’t use mine much. It has a specific purpose. When I want garlic rendered into a crushed paste, it delivers this function admirably.
Contrast that with say, a blender. My blender gets a ton of use. It takes many things and renders them into a liquid form.
What does this have to do with roleplaying games?
As a tabletop roleplaying games enthusiast who has played many games at this point in my life, I want more garlic presses. This does not mean I think roleplaying games with broad appeal and expandable mechanics are bad. I do not have a vendetta against folks who enjoy that kind of fun. I just know what I personally enjoy in say, an adventure game. I have clear preferences. It’s why I am mainly an adventure writer and not a person that writes games generally. My only game is a capsule game.
These days, I just want single purpose games that build all mechanics, writing and aesthetics toward delivering that experience, full stop. When you play a well conceived capsule game, the intellectual load for the referee or group is significantly reduced. The game does what it is intended to do and provides the mechanisms necessary to do so.
Just like a garlic press.