MAGIC NEEDS MINI-PROBLEMS NOT MINI-GAMES: A Defense of Vancian Magic

Self-Portrait with Magic Scene by Pieter van Laer, 1635Honestly, a really great painting- a meme before memesWith love, and in the style of the original post over at Among Cats and Books. And yes, yes insert the usual caveats for personal preference ect. ect. And if you're curious about my other thoughts on magic, check out my Practical Magic series.Vancian Magic Is Based Because Magic Just Fucking WorksDungeons and fucking dragons has Vancian magic and its been a joy and wonder in this game forever!Not only have you this class-based restriction bullshit, so you are fucking special when you pull off shit no-one else can do, but every fucking spell is a standardized mechanic. You can just do! You're expected to just do it!When you want to cast fucking fireball and blow the shit out of the lich's bullshit undead army- you just do it! "I cast fireball!" Boom! ~23 points of damage to however many boneheads you can cram in a 20' radius sphere 240 feet (!) away from you. A buddy that's a…