????? ???????? ???????????? — ?? ????? ?????????, ?? ??????? ??? ????????? ??? ????? ????????? «?????». ???? ????????? ???-?? ??? ?????????.

??????? ??????????? ?????? ?? ???????????? ????????????? ?????????? (??? ???, ??? ? ?????, ????????? ? ???????? ???) ???? ?????????? ??????? ?????? ??? ?????????? ????????? (?????? ????????) ?? ???????????? ???? ????? ??????????? ??????. ? ??? ? ??? ???? ??????, ???? ???? ???? ?? ? ??????????? (?????? ??? ???? ?????? ???????? ??????????? ??? — imagination is a part of rules). ??????, ? SW ???? ??????? ?? ???????????? (??????? ???????????), ?? ???? ? ??????? ?? ?????? ?????? (????????????? ?????? ?????? ????), ? ????? ????? ?? ????????????? ??????? ????? ?????????? (???????????? ? ????? ??????). ??? ?????? ????? ??????????? ??? ????????????? ????? ??????? ???????? ????????? ??????????? ?? ??????????? ???????? ????? ??? ?????? ???????????? ????? — ?????? ???????. ?? ???? ????? ?????? ??????? ?????????? ????????????? ?? ??????????????? ? ???? ???????? ????? ????????? ????????? ???????????????…

MTP is usually used in the context of «that's just MTP». Magical Teaparty is the first RPG element. It's free. And we can use it to mind caulk anything. That's not revolutionary, and the results aren't predictable.

So when someone says they have a cool system of handling something, and that «system» is MTP, it would not be unusual at all for someone on the Den to say «That's just MTP.» And even though tone doesn't carry over text on the interwebs terribly well, I want to assure you that the sentence would be absolutely dripping with scorn. But it wouldn't be dismissive and contemptuous because MTP is inherently bad, it would be such because the delivered product would be literally the equal of what a five year old could do.

If a five year old does a stick figure in crayon, it is charming and goes on the fridge. If a grown man does one and asks why I don't want it on my fridge, I don't think that needs a reasoned response. It deserves a dismissive and cruel comment. And I am sure that it would get one.

But what MTP is, fundamentally, is worse than every single other rule in your game. At least, it fucking better be. Because MTP is free and takes up zero space. So absolutely any rule you write that isn't better than MTP is something you should cut in editing. Which doesn't mean MTP is «bad» or that it doesn't have a place. It just means that every single rule you include in your game is supposed to be better than MTP.

-Frank

I don't see how Apocalypse World is any better or worse than other RPGs in the case of a bear-obsessed DM. While technically this is an issue of MTP, it's the (lack of) rules for placing opposition, which is MTP in almost every system, including D&D.

We aren't talking about whether the campaign will have a lot of bears, though it's getting dangerously close to that. In D&D, the success and failure of your actions changes the environment in relatively predictable ways. If you fail to sneak through the forest around your enemy's flank or whatever, they detect you. In AW, the success and failure of your actions changes the environment in ways that are arbitrary and unpredictable until after the roll. If you fail to sneak through the forest around your enemy's flank or whatever, bears. Or bees. Or mudslide. Or they detect you. Or you drop something. Or you sprain your ankle.

It's not that your DM can put bears everywhere and make you deal with a bear-centric campaign, because that's true in any system. It's that your DM is encouraged to make asspulls every step of the way and that means bears are never more than «the DM opens his mouth» away, and bears is just a stand-in for anything and so the outcomes of any action become very difficult to predict in any meaningful way. Which makes it a bad game, but possibly good for something like roll-guided improv storytelling.