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Rich Hutnik wrote:

In a nutshell, can we have both what you want (each game as a work of art unto itself) and also something we can evolve as a community, that can borrow from all over?

First of all, I have not advocated that we regard games as works of art. On thinking about the matter, I regard the invention of Chess variants to be a craft more than an art. The difference is that art exists simply as a work of beauty or expression of some kind, whereas craft serves a practical purpose. Aesthetic sensibilities may guide the making of a craft, but the more important consideration in craftsmanship is whether what is being made will serve its function properly. For example, architecture is primarily a craft. If an architect designs a house to be lovely to behold but fails to make it safe and livable, he has failed. The beauty of the house is secondary to the practical function of living in it. Game invention is a craft, because the beauty of a game has to take second place to the playability of a game. When I create a game, it is not about expressing myself or creating something of lasting beauty. It is mainly about designing something people will enjoy playing, and sometimes this means playtesting and focusing on details that don't make a difference to the beauty of a game.

Second, what you want reminds me of what Peter Keating did with Howard Roark's blueprints in Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead. After promising that he would not change them, he lets his second-hander colleagues make all kinds of changes to them. Howard Roark takes such offense at this that he blows up the building made from these plans. The offense was that they denigrated the integrity of his vision. Although architecture is not pure art, it doesn't mean that an architect cannot be inspired by some kind of artistic vision. As long as his craftsmanship remains up to snuff, he can be a better architect by combining artistry and craftsmanship together. The same is true of creating Chess variants. No committee or community is going to have the vision of a true craftsman and artist. Whatever they make is likely to end up a hodgepodge of ideas without rhyme or reason, sort of like any bill that gets passed in congress.