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    Review of Their System, Our Game

    book book review #booksky D&D dejong lajeunesse Michigan Pathfinder University of Michigan Press
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    Scott DeJong and Marc Lajeunesse. Their System, Our Game. University of Michigan Press. 2026. ISBN13: 978-0472-04026-1.


    Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) let participants create a shared experience. The form of that experience depends on the group of players (the “table”) and, usually, a referee that guides the action. Rules systems and scenarios can range from highly detailed affairs to the bare minimum required for storytelling.


    No system meets every player’s needs, so there is a rich history of modifications through house rules and third-party products. Scott DeJong and Marc Lajeunesse’s new book Their System, Our Game from the University of Michigan Press looks at this “home brew” tradition for Pathfinder, a TTRPG known to accommodate such changes.


    The authors set a group of “brewers” who range from the purely amateur to hired third-party content creators for Paizo, Pathfinder's publisher. It’s interesting to read about the brewers's motivations and approaches and contrast them with my preferred puzzle-solving approach rather than character-based theatrical storytelling.


    Skipping forward to near the end of the book, DeJong and Lajeunesse use improvisational comedy terms to describe the approach used in Pathfinder 2E (second edition). In improv, the key to effective scenework is the “yes, and” approach, where all players accept offers by other players and extend upon them creatively. For example, a scene start such as “I can’t believe we went fifteen hours without talking!” could be “yes anded” by saying “Yes, and I have never felt more ready to sing an opera.”


    The authors characterize a system such as Dungeons & Dragons as a “No, and” system, where specific actions are not allowed but can be handled by the rules if certain compromises are made. “I can’t believe we went fifteen hours without talking!” could have the “no, and” response of “I talked whenever you were out of the room, and we should continue with that in mind.” By refusing, or “blocking” the first player’s offer, the second player has brought the scene to a grinding halt. Pathfinder 1E (first edition) is a step toward the preferred improv approach but remains a “yes, but” framework. In this case, a response to  “I can’t believe we went fifteen hours without talking!” could be “Yes, but I don’t feel any different than before.” The second player technically accepted the offer but then immediately undermined any sense of progress. In system terms, this framework says “Yes, you can do that, but here’s how it has to work.”


    Pathfinder 2E’s simplified rules (there are fewer tables and much less math) means the game relies less on adjudication and more on storytelling, a perfect mix for both a “yes, and” technique and a home brew campaign. Fewer inherent restrictions allows freer gameplay, though the gamemaster has to manage game balance and storytelling against players affecting the story in unplanned ways.


    DeJong and Lajeunesse mix theory, their own homebrew learning, and the experiences of their brewer cohort effectively. Combined with discussions of TTRPGs in general and homebrew traditions from Pathfinder and other frameworks, Their System, Our Game offers a powerful description and critique of roleplaying through the lens of independent play. Highly recommended.

  • Published on

    Review of Unsettling Catan

    book book review booksky Catan J. Rey Lee J Rey Lee Michigan Settlers of Catan University of Michigan Press Unsettling Catan
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    J. Rey Lee, Unsettling Catan. University of Michigan Press. 2025. ISBN: 978-0-472-03998-2. $24.95.


    Settlers of Catan, the classic boardgame by Klaus Teuber, has sold more than 40 million copies over various editions and expansions. Combining easy-to-learn rules, variable setup, and meaningful choices throughout the game, Catan was a breakthrough hit that put eurogames on the map outside of Europe.


    As Professor J. Rey Lee notes in Unsettling Catan: Detached Design in Eurogames, Catan abstracts away elements of the game’s scenario relating to the territory and economic engines the players develop. Lee refers to this construction in both subtitle and text as detached design, which he sets in contrast to the overt conflict of wargames and many other boardgames.


    Eurogame design philosophy centers on player choice in place of random success or failure of a selected action. In Catan and similar games the players are presented with options generated by card or tile draws, from which they chose an option. This input randomness happens near the start of the player’s turn, as opposed to output randomness where a player chooses an action and faces a die roll to determine success or failure near the end of their turn. Any gamer can tell you there’s nothing more nerve-wracking than rolling a twenty-sided die when you know you need an eighteen or higher to succeed. Moving the luck to the start of the turn and demanding a choice from options with known outcomes results in significant emotional detachment—the suspense is gone even though future turns and choices will ultimately decide the effect of your move.


    The author argues that this detachment extends to the ideological framework of the game. Lee points out that Catan embodies colonialism, a claim readily supported by the word “settlers” in the game’s title and the lack of indigenous peoples explicitly benefitting from the players’ economic development. The game omits discussion of that framework, which isn’t surprising for a work created to entertain, but the themes are clear when exposed and have different meanings for western and non-western audiences.


    Unsettling Catan is an excellent study that builds a substantive cultural critique from a touchstone in the boardgame world that extends to other eurogames and beyond. I benefitted from reading Professor Lee’s work and recommend Unsettling Catan without reservation.