I personally like see new ideas and people come up with new systems that make their games/stories feel more unique. But as a reader I feel customization could trick the player in don’t see the linearity of the story
I would rather start with a “non-smoker” and “male or female” base choice and then along the way find a storywise option to become a smoker or a storywise option to change gender or choose my identity (with all the implications given by doing the choice in a apocalyptic world) and see how my choices impact the story.
Thank you all for your opinions (even the strongest ones!)
I’m sorry if any of you felt offended by my post, cultural differences are often problematic. It will be my concern to try to make the choices as less harsh as possible, and to point out any strong content at the beginning of the book!
Quite a bit! RPGs are my favorite type of games–video, tabletop, what have you–so the more customization the better as far as I’m concerned.
Of course, there are limits. Some genres and plots might not invite a lot of customization, and coding everything in would be a lot of work. Another consideration is the placement of the options. Packing those choices in one chapter can make for a slog, but it can be done well if not front-loaded.
In sum, it’s a balancing act on several levels.
Tangentially related, an apocalyptic setting lends itself well to darker or “realistic” stat effects and flavor text. Those are also things I love–but I can understand why some players would prefer escapism over realism. The real world can be a wearying place at times. Fortunately, there are all types of games for all types of people.
