Although Firefly forever changed the meaning of “shiny”, it’s still used, here and there, as the original meaning of “something that shines”.
The podcast Fear The Boot coined the phrase “distracted by the new shiny”, based on “the shiny new toy” but relating to running RPGs and campaigns. You’ve started a new game, already a few sessions in, when suddenly a new system comes out – it’s exciting and interesting, and at least one or two of the players and/or GM start talking about it with an alarming frequency. This is a dangerous time for the budding campaign, since someone might suggest abandoning it in order to switch to the new shiny. Sometimes, that might be a good idea, but as a general rule, the shiny is bright and dazzling, so you shouldn’t try to run toward it – you’re not seeing clearly. Just because something is new, that doesn’t mean it’s worthwhile – “new” is not, on its own, a good enough reason to change your mind. It should at the very least be “new and improved” – or “new and comes with a set of dice”, because, you know, then you also get some dice – and judged by its merits, compared to the current game, the one you’re already partly invested in. (Although being invested is not, on its own, a good enough reason not to change your mind.)
Oh, and there really is a new edition of Torg coming soon- it was a clunky system but it had some interesting ideas, and the world was so cool. Looking forward to check out the new edition.
