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Originally Posted by Tegyrius
Having not actually played with any of those systems enough to find the edges of coherence, I can't provide detailed analysis as to their suitability for T2k. Generally speaking, though, I will note that with the exception of the Old School Renaissance movement, I am seeing current game design trends going for a lot more fast play over rigorous simulations. I don't think this is a reaction to the stereotype of younger gamers having short attention spans or expecting to be spoon-fed material (and seriously, guys, why not just complain about Millennials killing station wagons and fax machines while you're at it?). Rather, I believe it's an acknowledgement that the core market for tabletop RPGs is middle-aged adults whose work and family responsibilities don't leave them the time for rigorous prep, whose gaming time is rare and precious, and who want the mechanics to not bog down the progression of the story when they do get to play. So while I am skeptical about whether Free League's house system will have the right tone for Twilight: 2000, I embrace the intent and will give them the benefit of the doubt.
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That's a good point re target market. I hadn't considered that simplified rule sets could be targeted just as much towards busy middle aged folks as at the low-attention-span younger crowd. That makes a lot of sense. I, for one, don't have hours to devote to game prep and rules parsing. Simple can easily be made more complex. In my experience, it's more difficult to do the reverse.
And I agree wholeheartedly re your points about diversity and representation. The more the better. Just because there might be an image of a trans warrior, for example, in the game art doesn't mean you have to play one. That people have a problem with minority representation in gaming in 2020 makes me sad.
Despite the surge in popularity of D&D recently, tabletop RPG'ing is still a pretty geeky subculture. Being as many "geeks" weren't necessarily the most popular kids growing up, it's surprising how intolerant and exlusionary some gamers can be of the other. I hope that we are seeing a sea change now.