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Sadly there is a focus on churning out games so fast, playtesting and proofing are luxuries they don’t need… as people seem to keep buying the stuff.
I’d like to see historical rules researched a little more properly and a little more respect paid to the historiography of a subject. If its historical rules… get the history correct and the feel of the period correct. A game can be fun, fast and exciting while still being true to its historical setting.
As long as people do keep buying, why would a company change… plus if the rules ain’t right, you can release a second edition… or a third even…
Put the focus on the shiny things that make money and forget the rules that don’t. Throw enough advertising funds at something and it can succeed. Plus with high advertising, and media taken up with that, it pushes the more smaller and independent producers to the side.
It’s a shame, but that’s where it is these days. People like the ease of buying a big box of stuff, but better things might be found if looked for… but that takes time and added effort. But there are lots of good rules out there.
From a producers point of view, it’s a shame when you spend 18 months playtesting before a release to see games without much. But I think for us, it’s because it’s a game we actually play first and foremost. I’d rather not make as much money (not that I do anyway but that’s beside the point!) but release a game I’m proud of and play regularly.
It would be nice to see more varied and independent games being played, but reviewing games is hard… it often takes several plays of a game to get the rules right, even more to discover a games nuances and deeper attractions. It’s a hard thing to put together to be fair.
