The Irresistible Urge to Tinker, and its Consequences
Tending to poorly lambs provides ample time for thoughts to percolate.
I have a problem. That problem is tinkering with RPGs. I'm currently fucking around with an Into the Odd-based idea and had the realisation that I don't think I've run a game without house-ruling, tweaking, or Cronenberg-ing other games into it for about 15 years, outside of some one-shots.
I don't mean to say that the things I've tinkered with have been bad (although some of them definitely were) or that games should only be played with the rules-as-written, but I do wonder if in my eagerness to hack, splice, and change I've missed out on important experiences which could serve to inform the choices I make in DIYing going ahead.
For example: I've always ruled that Detect Magic is a Magic-User class feature rather than a prepared spell. Spend a turn inspecting something and you can tell if it's magical, because wizards deserve a little magic detection, as a treat. It's minor, but given that dungeon-crawling is a resource-intensive and highly logistical activity, how has that served to shape the experience of the players and the feel of the game given that the spell is removed as a material concern?
Is there some kind of special sauce in getting a grounded feel for something before seeking to change it, or fuck it hit the gas and see what happens? Is there really a noticeable butterfly effect that stems from these kinds of rulings?
I don't know if there's a definite yes/no, or if the answer has any appreciable meaning beyond my own navel-gazing, but I'll be ruminating on it for some time, I think.