So my friend is writing a game. It's interesting and good, but it still has some rules kinks to work out. We sat around and playtested the prototype for a few hours last Sunday, then, because we're us, sat around for a few more hours talking about things that could be done with it, as well as, incidentally and also because we're us, every other game ever written.
Sam: "...and that's the reason I hate 40k and I haven't played Warhammer 40k in years."
Zak: "You have played Warhammer 40k, we played it last summer, we had a good time, you kept coming back."
S: "That wasn't Warhammer 40k!"
Z: "Yes it was, I mean, aside from the psychology rules, that was pretty much straight-up Rogue Trader first edition 40k."
S: "It was a bunch of pieces of paper scribbled with what you remembered from playing Warhammer 40k 15 years ago. And, actually, it was a way better game than the original. It had all the bits that didn't work filed off."
Z: "So maybe that's what you should do with your game: play it with a twelve-year-old, then take away the rules, wait a decade, then ask him to write down all the rules he remembers from scratch. Then you'll have an awesome game."
S: "I'm sold."