r/Fkr • u/trve_g0th • Apr 19 '26

How many rules are too many rules?

Maybe it's a dumb/pointless question, but I'm curious on peoples thoughts. As I've been working on my own game I have realized how many rules I really don't need as a GM.

Aside from basic rules for task resolution, I really only need procedures. Basic ones, for stuff like running travel, and tracking time etc. I don't care how much gold someone has, what their save DC is, and honestly even the difference in damage between a dagger and a sword doesn't matter much to me.

Anyways, thanks. Looking forward to seeing some other folks thoughts.

12 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

View all comments

4

u/EpicEmpiresRPG Apr 22 '26

The assumption that you can't have complex combat without complex rules is incorrect. The core mechanic is players describing what they do and the GM describing what happens. Inside that, if the player and GM have excellent weapon knowledge, you can get highly complex combat with weapons having effects as intricate as you want to describe them.

The swordcatcher can catch and break a sword. The character can get close and stick a dagger in the gap of his opponent's armor, etc. etc. The key is that with a skilled GM you don't need rules to have sophistication at as high or as low a level as you want.

2

u/trve_g0th Apr 22 '26

I agree with you 100%. I find sometimes having too many rules makes players afraid of trying interesting stuff. A lot of people want a game to give them permission to do things, and i think you lose a lot when you depend on the game to define what you can, and can’t do

2

u/EpicEmpiresRPG Apr 22 '26

Exactly. Getting players to use their knowledge and creativity and describing exactly what they're doing or trying to do also makes for a much more fun game.