What defines D&D ?

Thanael

Explorer

• Jun 25, 2008

• #1

Many people have said that "4E is not D&D" and this has been hotly debated. So i ask the community the following question: What is D&D? What defines it? What sets it apart from other FRPGs?


IMHO it is the following iconic things that make D&D what it is: iconic monsters/races, iconic classes, the class/levels system, the D20 mechanic, Vancian casting, iconic spells, iconic items. To a lesser degree the alignment system and the Great Wheel cosmology. If you remove all of those you're not playing D&D anymore imho. If you remove some of them you're playing a variant.

 

Last edited: Jun 25, 2008

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CountPopeula

First Post

• Jun 25, 2008

• #2

I would say D&D is the game that you learned when you learned to play D&D. It sounds oversimplified, but arguments over it often come back to this point. Like "this isn't D&D, D&D is a test of the players' wits to get around traps, not just some skill check, that's not D&D!"

It's too subjective, but I see what you're getting at... what is D&D to you? To me and my friends, taking the orc's pie while drinking two cases of beer between 4 people is D&D.

 

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AllisterH

First Post

• Jun 25, 2008

• #3

Classes.

 

Mustrum_Ridcully

Hero

• Jun 25, 2008

• #4

AllisterH said:

Classes.

Click to expand...

But other games also have classes!

Maybe...

Levels?
Hit Points?
Fantasy Races?
Medieval Fantasy Setting?
The brand name on the cover?
Your experience with D&D define what D&D is to you?

 

S

Scurvy_Platypus

Explorer

• Jun 25, 2008

• #5

Ask 10 people this and you'll get 13 answers.

At the end of the day, "what is D&D" is partially a combination of an individual's personal experiences when learning the game, how they've adapted (or not) the game to their playing style, and that whole fuzzy area of "shared experience" as it relates to other gamers.

Much like porn/sex, the definition of a roleplaying game, whether or not you can break people into playstyles/types, and other assorted bits, I've never seen an answer that everyone can agree on. Usually this kind of question merely serves to slow-start long rambling post with people talking past each other, and about half the time you manage to move it from a fitful simmer into a full flame war.

Sidenote: Shouldn't this really be out in the General RPG Discussion instead of the Rules discussion?

Or is the intent to try and carve out as many rules as possible from D&D and still "have" D&D?

 

L

Logos7

First Post

• Jun 25, 2008

• #6

Levels?
Hit Points?
Fantasy Races?
Medieval Fantasy Setting?
The brand name on the cover?

+ Gm
+ Dice
+ Character Sheets
+ Str,Dex, Con, Int, Wis ,Cha
+ Too many polearms
+ Stupid names

Theirs more but I think that's an okay starting list

 

V

ValhallaGH

Explorer

• Jun 25, 2008

• #7

D&D is a fantasy-themed game I play with my friends. There's magic, medieval level technology, and monsters of myth, mystery and oddity. The ecology and economy usually don't make sense and none of us care about them anyway. There are powerful wizards, priests can manifest actual miracles, and a knife between the shoulder blades is always a concern.

Most importantly, it's fun.

 

Philotomy Jurament

First Post

• Jun 27, 2008

• #8

Essential to giving me "that D&D feeling:"

• Class-and-level based PCs. (The more this gets diluted with skills systems, etc., the less like D&D it feels.)
• The 3-18 range for the classic array of abilities.
• Roll a d20 to attack, roll damage
• An abstract combat system with AC and hit points.
• "Vancian" magic; if that goes, I lose that D&D feeling

That's not an exhaustive list, but I think those are the most important elements.

 

Ydars

Explorer

• Jun 27, 2008

• #9

What defines D&D for Ydars;

Fluff;

Tolkien-like Elves, Dwarves and Orcs, as races. Gnomes and Halflings are not Tolkien-like; Gnomes are goofy, crazy tricksters and Halflings are tough, inquisitive and independent.

Monsters; Mind-Flayers, Beholders, Ettins, Kobolds.

Worlds; uniquely non-Tolkien, pseudo-medieval, High-magic, slightly cartoony, filled with gold and dungeons; many worlds are a cultural/temporal mish-mash of things from real-earth history. Monotheisic feel even though it is supposed to represent a polytheistic world. Lacks real depth as the default, low vermisilitude; yet infinitely adaptable.

Style; Vanilla fantasy as default, combat orientated, low simulationist, Magic as a kind of technology/science; D&D is also obviously American and has alot of US flavour ; place names are very strange sounding to Europeans and sound cheesy e.g. Greendale or Winterhaven.

Crunch; HP, AC, level-based, class-based system, Fighters, Clerics, Wizards, Thieves; with Druids, Monks, Palladins and Rangers added soon after.

 

ghul

Explorer

• Jun 27, 2008

• #10

Philotomy Jurament said:

Essential to giving me "that D&D feeling:"

• Class-and-level based PCs. (The more this gets diluted with skills systems, etc., the less like D&D it feels.)
• The 3-18 range for the classic array of abilities.
• Roll a d20 to attack, roll damage
• An abstract combat system with AC and hit points.
• "Vancian" magic; if that goes, I lose that D&D feeling

That's not an exhaustive list, but I think those are the most important elements.

Click to expand...

Well, this is getting to be a habit at more than forum across the web, but I'll say it nonetheless: I completely agree with PJ.