Mearls On D&D's Design Premises/Goals

Fallstorm · Sep 26, 2018

lowkey13 said:
/facepalm

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

First rule of holes- when you're in one, stop digging.

"Hey guys, I know that I have no first-hand knowledge of what I'm talking about, because I wasn't playing at the time or even aware of what was going on, but allow me to lecture you about it anyway!"

1E and 2E both are considered OSR. I did not start in 1E never said that. I do have 1e books though and have been retro games of 1E. So I have familiarity (and respect) for 1E. I also did have other RPGs at the time but feel free to address made up conclusions. I mean, you like narrative play so that makes sense (narrative being the keyword). Since, you know about this thriving market which is so popular a full 2.9% of people are playing. D&D Beyond has probably increased this and more celebs are talking D&D. I hope we hit 5%.

lowkey13 · Sep 26, 2018

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Sacrosanct · Sep 26, 2018

Fallstorm said:
1E and 2E both are considered OSR. I did not start in 1E never said that. I do have 1e books though and have been retro games of 1E. So I have familiarity (and respect) for 1E. I also did have other RPGs at the time but feel free to address made up conclusions. I mean, you like narrative play so that makes sense (narrative being the keyword). Since, you know about this thriving market which is so popular a full 2.9% of people are playing. D&D Beyond has probably increased this and more celebs are talking D&D. I hope we hit 5%.

OK, you are continuing to say things that aren't true. We were there. By your own admission, you weren't. Also, I suspect that also by your own admission from living in a small town, your experiences are quite skewed. With those two things, I'd highly suggest you stop presenting your argument as fact when it's nothing of the sort. You don't even have to take our words for it, go look up the history and timeline of RPGs. Heck, if you've never played 1e, in what sense of authority do you have to tell people who did play it that classes played the same? It would be like me telling 4e players how 4e played because I have some of the books and just made assumptions. Like saying "4e is just a tactical rpg with no roleplaying."

I wouldn't expect them to take me seriously.

Sadras · Sep 26, 2018

Fallstorm said:
1E and 2E both are considered OSR. I did not start in 1E never said that. I do have 1e books though and have been retro games of 1E. So I have familiarity (and respect) for 1E. I also did have other RPGs at the time but feel free to address made up conclusions. I mean, you like narrative play so that makes sense (narrative being the keyword). Since, you know about this thriving market which is so popular a full 2.9% of people are playing. D&D Beyond has probably increased this and more celebs are talking D&D. I hope we hit 5%.

@Fallstorm I wasn't playing in the 70's and much of the 80's but even I know the RPG market had exploded well before the d20 boom and there were plenty, plenty of RPG games out there and I'm not living in the States, Canada or Europe. For one, during my time VtM arrived on the scene and it was YUGE within the Cape Town roleplaying community, nevermind all the other classic TTRPGs (from Amber, to Shadow Run to RM...etc)

Fallstorm · Sep 26, 2018

lowkey13 said:
Seriously, if you don't want to learn a little history, at least try your best not to lecture others, okay?

There was a thriving TTRPG market in the 70s and 80s, with quite a few publishers. There are a number of people on this forum that played in the 70s and the 80s, so I would really recommend not GAMESPLAINING to us what we lived through, not to mention many of us enjoy talking and discussing TTRPG history as a hobby.

First of all, I didn't lecture of gamesplain to anyone. I was asked a question. I responded to the question. Then you jumped in. If you did not like the answer then why don't you do as your moniker says and stay low-key. Secondly, I was around in the 80's. 3. D&D went through a brief boom with the cartoon from the 80's but D&D was a niche market. If D&D is the leader in a niche market then by default everything else is going to be obscure despite having other publishers. Right now if TTRPGS make up 2.9% of games (by last reckoning) and the bulk of that is D&D with PF gobbling up most of the rest then market shares for anything else is going to be pretty dismal i.e. obscure by definition. Learn what niche means.

Sacrosanct · Sep 26, 2018

Fallstorm said:
First of all, I didn't lecture of gamesplain to anyone. I was asked a question. I responded to the question. Then you jumped in. If you did not like the answer then why don't you do as your moniker says and stay low-key. Secondly, I was around in the 80's. 3. D&D went through a brief boom with the cartoon from the 80's but D&D was a niche market. If D&D is the leader in a niche market then by default everything else is going to be obscure despite having other publishers. Right now if TTRPGS make up 2.9% of games (by last reckoning) and the bulk of that is D&D with PF gobbling up most of the rest then market shares for anything else is going to be pretty dismal i.e. obscure by definition. Learn what niche means.

Dude! Stop! LOL. D&D didn't go through a boom with the cartoon. The D&D boom started in 79 and peaked in about 82-83--the cartoon came out at the end of the peak, it did NOT create the boom. You seriously need to stop digging your hole man.

Fallstorm · Sep 26, 2018

Sadras said:
@Fallstorm I wasn't playing in the 70's and much of the 80's but even I know the RPG market had exploded well before the d20 boom and there were plenty, plenty of RPG games out there and I'm not living in the States, Canada or Europe. For one, during my time VtM had arrived on the scene and it was YUGE within the Cape Town roleplaying community, nevermind all the other classic TTRPGs.

What people are calling an "explosion" is still on obscure niche. D&D and RPGs have never been a popular hobby for the masses. That may change but anyone who says it is now or has been is living in a false reality. Options in a niche in which one main provider occupies most of the niche is not an explosion.

lowkey13 · Sep 26, 2018

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Lord Mhoram · Sep 26, 2018

pemerton said:
How would you characterise the following rule:

When you consult your accumulated knowledge about something, roll 2d6+Int bonus:

✴On a 10+, the GM will tell you something interesting and useful about the subject relevant to your situation;

✴On a 7–9, the GM will only tell you something interesting—it’s on you to make it useful;

The GM might ask you "How do you know this?" Tell them the truth, now.

First agreed that I am not covering the field, I was using the examples on the extremes at both ends, seen in the history of D&D.

As for the above, that would work in some games, and not work in others; if there are modifiers to that roll, then that helps, because some situations are harder than others - without modifiers then I would feel it is a bad rule. My primary game is Hero/Champions which is a 3d6 roll under system, so the skill rolls work very similarly to your example.
I would dislike that language in rules personally - the "It's up to you to make it useful" and "Tell them the truth, now" feels off to me in tone. But that is just me.

Fallstorm · Sep 26, 2018

Sacrosanct said:
Dude! Stop! LOL. D&D didn't go through a boom with the cartoon. The D&D boom started in 79 and peaked in about 82-83--the cartoon came out at the end of the peak, it did NOT create the boom. You seriously need to stop digging your hole man.

Never said the D&D cartoon created the boom but believe what you will.

Mearls On D&D's Design Premises/Goals

Fallstorm

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lowkey13

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Sacrosanct

Legend

Sadras

Legend

Fallstorm

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Sacrosanct

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Fallstorm

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lowkey13

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Lord Mhoram

Hero

Fallstorm

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