Ideas People

Oh young one! So you think you have an idea. Well let.me.tell.you: EVERYONE has ideas. Nobody cares if you have ideas. The real results are in work, in the execution. It's about labour, not inspiration.

I've seen this kind of patronising lecture a few times on various RPG boards, and speaking as someone without any ideas, I fundamentally disagree.

Most of my RPG work has involved taking other people's ideas and polishing them. I have the stamina to write, review, test, and repeat for months. Sometimes years, if the ideas still feel fun.

I don't have a lot of great ideas. Any 'ideas' I have usually involve breaking down a system into Maths - just sets and numbers - then rebuilding the function with a shorter route.

I love ideas people, because they give me the ideas I work with.

I don't want to indicate that I will work on anyone's ideas. I don't have any interest in most ideas. I have to sift through myriad comments on boards before I'll find anything that looks remotely useful.

So I'll join a patronizing rant when it comes to the vanishingly few people who think they can start a business by stating an idea, then lying back and getting work-monkeys to work for them. But people who just want to hand out ideas? Sign me up.