What is meant by Exploration play?

On role-playing, exploration, and combat: "If we support those three things, we've covered about 90% of what's important in the game." - Mike Mearls

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When they say "exploring", what sort of play are they describing? What do exploration skills mean, etc?

Rechan said:

What exactly is being referred to when the phrase "exploring" is tossed around? Like "skills for exploring" etc?

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I hope they don't mean "old school dungeon crawling" but I think this is part of the bone they are trying to throw to the OSR crowd. I read "support for exploration" as meaning "10 foot poles and having to map every corner of the dungeon."

Kynn said:

I hope they don't mean "old school dungeon crawling" but I think this is part of the bone they are trying to throw to the OSR crowd. I read "support for exploration" as meaning "10 foot poles and having to map every corner of the dungeon."

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This is my concern as well.

Kynn said:

I hope they don't mean "old school dungeon crawling" but I think this is part of the bone they are trying to throw to the OSR crowd. I read "support for exploration" as meaning "10 foot poles and having to map every corner of the dungeon."

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I'll tell you what they mean: pre-printed battlemaps with built-in dungeons. They did it in 4th, and they'll do more of it in 5th. It will be premium products with all the prep work done for you on huge battlemaps. Good news for high-disposable-income, low-free-time players.

Kynn said:

I hope they don't mean "old school dungeon crawling" but I think this is part of the bone they are trying to throw to the OSR crowd. I read "support for exploration" as meaning "10 foot poles and having to map every corner of the dungeon."

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THe mapping needed for dungeon exploration doesn't need to be exact or accurate to the foot. If you can find your way back out of an area that has been mapped then the map did its job.

There is nothing but the expenditure of time keeping players from creating more detailed precise maps if they are into that sort of thing.

I believe that by 'Exploration' Play they are referring to what is usually considered the 'skill monkey' jobs.

Ranger is the 'skill monkey' for the woods. The ranger gives up some of the Fighter's fighting prowess to be better at navigating hazards in the wilderness.

Rogue is the 'skill monkey' for the city. The rogue has abilities like Thieves Cant, Climb Walls, and Open Locks that makes her better in an urban environment then going toe to toe with a dragon. The class trades combat skill for being able to walk on ledges and do cart wheels to get behind opponents.

Bards are better at role-playing because they have abilities that support charming people. This does them little good when they have an ooze or a purple worm to contend with. Show them a King and a Princess and they rocket to the head of the class.

Wizards and Clerics make trade offs in having more knowledge based skills compared to a fighter. The fighter is designed to hit things and keep hitting things all day while a Wizard or Cleric will consider working out puzzles as part of their 'schtick'.

This is just the base consideration of what most designers see as the differentiation of these classes.

3e with skills, feats, multi-classing, and prestige classes allowed players to take a particular class and customize it for a broader set of encounters (strengthen weak points so a fighter might choose to know diplomacy or dancing).

4e allowed all classes to pick up a reduced value in all skills. It also allowed Paragon classes and Epic classes to offer some broadening of the roles but most of the powers were aimed at combat application.

I think the usage of Themes and Backgrounds in 5e will be used to do things like the mentioned Fighter in DDXP which had a Nobility Background to allow the Fighter to have some Role-playing skill mixed into her normal Fighting role (Fighter that is a 1/2 Bard).

Oh... I did not realize that dungeon delving could be what was meant by "exploration." Bashing dungeon doors and avoiding traps and mules and flasks of oil.

I always thought it was more like what we did in a certain Runequest campaign and another Rolemaster campaign: wander around and discover the wonders of a brand new world. See new places, learn their history and culture, imbibe their exotic herbs and fight their indigenous monsters and try to avoid any political problems. Learn the gods and cosmology and legends, and get caught up in quests.

Tallifer said:

Oh... I did not realize that dungeon delving could be what was meant by "exploration." Bashing dungeon doors and avoiding traps and mules and flasks of oil.

I always thought it was more like what we did in a certain Runequest campaign and another Rolemaster campaign: wander around and discover the wonders of a brand new world. See new places, learn their history and culture, imbibe their exotic herbs and fight their indigenous monsters and try to avoid any political problems. Learn the gods and cosmology and legends, and get caught up in quests.

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That's what interests me most, but I'm not holding my breath for it in 5e. I suspect that falls under "role playing" in the three-pillars model.

I hope I'm wrong on this.

Kynn said:

That's what interests me most, but I'm not holding my breath for it in 5e. I suspect that falls under "role playing" in the three-pillars model.

I hope I'm wrong on this.

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I remember them saying that role playing was not the correct term and that it should be socializing.

And I believe that what they mean by exploration is exactly what been said earlier, on the macro scale it means finding new places and poking your nose where it shouldn't belong on the micro scale it means using your imagination and abilities to solve problems as you play.

Warder

Tallifer said:

I always thought it was more like what we did in a certain Runequest campaign and another Rolemaster campaign: wander around and discover the wonders of a brand new world. See new places, learn their history and culture, imbibe their exotic herbs and fight their indigenous monsters and try to avoid any political problems. Learn the gods and cosmology and legends, and get caught up in quests.

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I love that stuff. But I believe what you describe, to use a gamey term, is "hexcrawling".