Quote Originally Posted by Water_Bear View Post
I agree on all the particulars but I can't disagree more about the conclusion. Bad Fluff has killed more game systems than any amount of poorly balanced mechanics, while games like D&D WoD and Traveler have become practically household names because of the way they inspired players with their settings and styles. Fluff and Crunch must be in balance for a game to be successful; you can't ignore either and expect to get a good result.
He's not saying that you need to ignore Fluff, he's saying that if they're in conflict, mechanics usually wins simply because it's easier to mold fluff around a mechanic rather than molding mechanics around fluff.

That's not to say that you shouldn't look to mold mechanics to fit fluff when you can, of course. A good mechanic that's backed up with good fluff is far superior to a good mechanic backed up by bad fluff. It's only when you can't get the two to work well together, that you need to sacrifice one for the other. Having to do so essentially means you've failed as a designer, but it's still better to have good mechanics and bad fluff than it is to have bad mechanics and good fluff.