Reading an RPG is like an archeological expedition into the unknown.
Sometimes, the really important stuff is close to the surface. The book is well designed, information is presented in a way that is easily digested on a quick skim, and you can pick up the great stuff right away. Basically, the artifacts are close to the surface. Less digging. Tombs are untrapped, haven't been raided yet, easy to find.
Other times, the really important stuff is hidden deep within dense text. Tiny snippets point to other snippets. And you must kind of assemble the good stuff on your own. Taking a pot shard here and a bone comb there and piecing together just what exactly was going on here, long ago.
This weekend, I really really read Ars Magica. Really. Cover to cover. Hardcore read. Ars Magica was in the latter category. A work of extraordinary brilliance shattered into a millions bits and tossed beneath the sands. Reading the book was basically digging out everything. Arduous work, but necessary.
Every published game is written in the past. You are studying it from that perspective every time.
Something I hope is a unique experience that people get on this blog is seeing in constructed in front of you. In the present tense. You are part of the society, not looking back at something already done. You can make suggestions, offer opinions, help influence the outcomes.
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