I'm tired of touchstones

Comparison is poor communication

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This is a petty grudge I’ve grown to hold against a type of communication and marketing that has become a big part of the ttrpg world. I don’t want you to take it too seriously. If you think it’s ridiculous, revel in it’s ridiculousness.

But I am sort of trying to make a point too.

How many times have you looked at a ttrpg crowdfunding project or product page and been served media comparisons and references within the first 20 seconds of reading the description?

For me, it’s a lot. And I am sick of it. Caveat: I know some projects are aiming for emulation of references or are actual IP projects. They are excused from this grumbling.

This is also coming up more and more in gaming groups: you get handed a list of touchstones or vibe references before playing a game. I don’t like that either.

Why? I’m glad you asked.

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Nostalgia reliance

There’s something empty to me about relying on touchstones or vibe references to convey the concept of your system, adventure, or toolkit. To me, it says one of the following:

• The concept actually isn’t interesting enough to hold its own. So when it’s introduced it needs to reference other material that is already loved to convince you it’s worth your time.

• The creators/publisher haven’t thought about how they could describe their work in a way that conveys what’s cool about it effectively, in a way that demonstrates its novelty without comparison.

• You’re attempting to play to the prior interests of your audience as a way to secure sales or interest (see “my 5e game is like Skyrim, come play!”)

This is not to say you shouldn’t credit your inspirations. But imagine writing a novel and when attempting to briefly describe, it you just start listing other media.

Gross.

Tell me what the thing is. Not what it is like.

The same goes for your home game. Don’t give me a list of references before we start playing. Tell me what your game world is about. Tell me what we’re trying to create at the table in your own words.

Don’t attempt to build vibes and atmosphere by proxy, actually build them. Write an intro document or handout for your game that conveys them, or have a discussion with your table before play.

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A weird form of soft exclusion?

What’s the best way to put me off a product or game? Have it heavily rely on references I’ve never engaged with to convey what it’s about. I have an experience that demonstrates this in practice.

I know nothing about mecha fiction. Zero. Naught. Nadda. A huge number of mech games sell themselves on comparisons to mecha media. So I never picked one up. Then I came across Salvage Union.

Salvage Union is its own thing. It doesn’t make calls to other media to convey its themes or nature. Its pitch didn’t rely on me having some kind of existing knowledge of certain franchises or works to understand what it was about. It felt accessible and interesting to me.

Does Salvage Union use inspiration from mecha media? Of course it does! You can read the inspirations and references in the books. But that’s where the inspirations belong: as a note inside the work itself.

The same goes for running a game with heavy referencing. We’re going to play something really inspired by the Witcher games!

Actually, I haven’t played the Witcher games. So when I sit next to someone at the table who has played the Witcher games and that touchstone is a big part of the game, it doesn’t feel great. I can’t lock in with the same precision. From the off, I might feel like I don’t belong at the table.

But if you keep that reference/inspiration from being declared immediately, entry to a game has a more even playing field.

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It diminishes novel concepts

The expectation that ttrpg projects are sold on vibes and references has a pretty nasty side effect: more novel concepts that defy comparisons to other media suffer as a result. Audiences are inclined to go off comparisons alone rather than actually digesting the concept as it is.

Imagine if MÖRK BORG tried to describe itself by making comparisons to other media. It would rob the project of its identity. The same goes for Cairn.

This applies to home games too. Throwing references at your players can limit the creative capacity of your table. People can start thinking in railway tracks defined by that media list you’ve handed out.

There’s a misunderstanding, I think, that you can only build a cohesive table atmosphere by using media references. I humbly disagree: you can build it with your own words and table discussion. Touchstones are a shortcut that come with limitations and compromises.

Make your own thing. Don’t let your games be defined by a crib sheet of touchstones and references. Tell or hand your players something that conveys what the game is about on your own terms.

It doesn’t take much work, it’s fun to do, and your game will be better for it.