How crunchy are my games?

Today we were having another interesting conversation about RPGs in the Blackoath Discord, this time (again? I feel we talk about this often) about what is a crunchy game, and which games are crunchy. This all started because apparently the new hotness, Draw Steel, is quite crunchy (which means I'll end up with a copy sooner or later). It's no secret that I lean towards the crunchy side of the crispy-crunchy spectrum, but there's no official definition of what a crunchy game is (I mean, who would have the authority to make an official definition anyway?), so when someone says this or that game is crunchy, it's largely subjective. I find that what many call crunchy, it isn't for me, but that's just because my baseline is Rolemaster (another game that I personally think isn't that crunchy; just cause you have to look up numbers in tables it doesn't mean the game's hard to play). But yeah, the bottom line is that, for most, crunch equates difficulty.

So I went to see what the collective wisdom had to say about the subject, and came across this nice article. I may or may not agree with all of it (I personally don't think that if a game has a lot of character options it means it's difficult or crunchy, since most of the times you'll just interact with that aspect once, while creating your PC), but I do like the idea of approaching a game's crunchiness in matrix format, instead of linearly. The post's author establishes these variables as the key elements to find out how crunchy a game is:

Power of Powers: Measures how varied and potent character abilities are, ranging from mundane talents to godlike powers. I don’t think this adds to the complexity of a game, at all, but still, I’m trying to be neutral. A few examples would be:

• 1: No powers (e.g., Fiasco)

• 3: Minor abilities (e.g., Ten Candles)

• 6: High-tech enhancements, but no magic (e.g., Cyberpunk Red)

• 10: Divine-level powers (e.g., GURPS god-mode)

Powers Complexity: Rates how easy or hard it is to understand and use the powers within the game. Now, this I could consider contributing to a game’s level of crunchiness. Low complexity would be one or few powers, easy to grasp (e.g., Paranoia), while high complexity would be massive lists or freeform systems requiring deep interpretation, stuff like Ars Magica or Mage: The Ascension, or I suppose Rolemaster.

General Rules Complexity: Evaluates how difficult it is to learn the core gameplay mechanics outside of combat. This definitely matters when determining if a game is crunchy, in my opinion. This scale highlights:

• 1: Simple roll-under mechanics (e.g., Dragonborne)

• 4: Slightly more nuanced with modifiers (e.g., GURPS)

• 7: Mixed dice pool and layered resolution systems (the blog post mentions Overlight, which I’m not familiar with)

• 10: Dense charts and rule types (e.g., 1st Edition D&D, and I suppose Rolemaster)

Combat Complexity: Rates how involved and detailed the game’s combat system is. The scale would be:

• 1: No combat mechanics; story-driven resolution (e.g., Fiasco)

• 3: Basic attack/dodge/damage rules (e.g., Dragonborne)

• 5: Added options when dealing or receiving damage (e.g. Savage Worlds)

• 10: Highly detailed, tactical systems needing maps and charts (e.g., 4th Edition D&D)

Narrative Complexity: Indicates how much the game focuses on story versus combat mechanics. I would actually flip this scale, because to me it makes sense that a higher number means more Narrative Complexity, even if the original blog post does it the other way around:

Scale Examples:

• 1: Combat-heavy, limited non-combat systems (e.g., D&D)

• 4: Story-focused with robust combat rules (e.g., Vampire: The Masquerade)

• 7: Balanced between narrative and combat (e.g., Dune RPG)

• 10: Story-first, rare combat (e.g., Dialect)

Okay! So with all these parameters in mind, I think it would be fun to rate all my games, since this is actually something a few people have asked me about in the past. I'm skipping Warlord Ascendant and Carnage & Aether, since those are skirmish games. Let's see!

Across a Thousand Dead Worlds

• Power of Powers: 2

• Powers Complexity: 1

• General Rules Complexity: 7

• Combat Complexity: 9

• Narrative Complexity: 7

Riftbreakers 2e

• Power of Powers: 7

• Powers Complexity: 9

• General Rules Complexity: 5

• Combat Complexity: 7

• Narrative Complexity: 7

Broken Shores

• Power of Powers: 2

• Powers Complexity: 4

• General Rules Complexity: 7

• Combat Complexity: 7

• Narrative Complexity: 6

Sacrifice

• Power of Powers: 1

• Powers Complexity: 1

• General Rules Complexity: 5

• Combat Complexity: 5

• Narrative Complexity: 6

Under Ashen Skies

• Power of Powers: 1

• Powers Complexity: 1

• General Rules Complexity: 7

• Combat Complexity: 5

• Narrative Complexity: 6

Ker Nethalas

• Power of Powers: 8

• Powers Complexity: 7

• General Rules Complexity: 7

• Combat Complexity: 8

• Narrative Complexity: 2

Ruthless Heavens, Boundless Fate

• Power of Powers: 9

• Powers Complexity: 9

• General Rules Complexity: 5

• Combat Complexity: 5

• Narrative Complexity: 6

Salvage & Sorcery

• Power of Powers: 6

• Powers Complexity: 4

• General Rules Complexity: 4

• Combat Complexity: 6

• Narrative Complexity: 2

Machine Gods of the Noxian Expanse

• Power of Powers: 1

• Powers Complexity: 1

• General Rules Complexity: 4

• Combat Complexity: 4

• Narrative Complexity: 4

Choir of Flesh

• Power of Powers: 8

• Powers Complexity: 2

• General Rules Complexity: 6

• Combat Complexity: 8

• Narrative Complexity: 6

So there you have it! What do you guys think? Do you agree with my ratings?