[Spinachcat]

I would rate Fantasia's complexity at the same level as the Rules Cyclopedia for OD&D, more involved than UniSystem or Savage Worlds, but less complex than Gurps or Exalted. The crunch could be considered about midway between Castles & Crusades and D20.


As for Gygax, I am a devoted fan of The Gary. A few summers ago, I sat down and read every word of the 1E PHB and DMG, something I doubt I ever did in high school. It was great fun and part of the joy was Gary's flip-flopping from "it's your game, do as you please" to "if you deviate from my commandments, your table will burst into flame!" Some people are turned off by this prose, some ignore it and others will enjoy it. If you are looking for specific examples, go read Gary's admonishments on why hit points rule vs. hit locations, why playing monsters is bad fun and how an economic system is a major priority when creating game worlds.

But hey, the Mighty Gygax was laying down the first words for a brand new hobby without the benefit of 30 years of hindsight and publishing experience. He just had some dice, some minis, some handwritten notes (no MS Word and no laptop) and the deep grooves of disco. So thus, we must forgive his purple prose.