Rules That Stay Out of the Way

Why the Simple Approach Works for Magical Realism

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When the story’s about what someone felt instead of what someone did, you don’t need complicated rules. You need space. In HOUSE OF SMALL WOES, the mechanics stay quiet so the story can speak. You’re not counting distances or tracking inventory. You’re noticing the moment someone forgets how to smile, or when a hallway shrinks after a memory is named. The system doesn’t drive the story. It follows it.

The Simple Approach works because it respects what the story’s already doing. It doesn’t make you justify every detail. It trusts that a feeling can be enough. That a single word, spoken out of place, can shift everything. Magical realism doesn’t thrive in calculation. It lives in nuance. It lingers in scenes that stretch because someone’s not ready to leave. The rules don’t explain the magic. They leave room for it.

This isn’t a system that tells you what to do. It gives you permission to stay with what matters. When a crack in the wall grows wider after a name is spoken, you don’t need a stat block to respond. You just need to notice. HOUSE OF SMALL WOES uses the Simple Approach to let stories breathe, because nothing ruins quiet magic faster than needing to roll for it.

HOUSE OF SMALL WOES runs on the Simple Approach, so the story always comes first.
Learn more here.

I hope you're doing well today,
Berin