First, I’m 100% with Michael Prescott. SF gaming is much harder because of the improvisational demands it puts on players. Fantasy gaming takes place in a technologically simple time and magic is handwave-y. But we read and like SF because of the scientific details and consistency. Most people can’t improvise with scientific literacy. This is the Transhuman Space problem.

As for “maintenance gaming,” I’m 100% with him there, too. The crowd that provides the endless enjoyment of these comment threads are usually designer-types caught in a bind. The sanctity of the RAW conflicts with the dissatisfaction of rules that “aren’t quite right.” Non-designer-types happily apply house rules to change their games into something that works for the group, but most here would probably shy away from that approach. The result is a little dissatisfaction in play and a perpetual search for the “RAW perfect” system. 🙂