D&D 5E Three pillars: what is "exploration"?

[Yaarel]

I’m thinking there might be four pillars to the game.

• Character creation and leveling, choosing spells and equipment
− the optimization a player does between sessions.

• Combat.

• Social − NPC interaction − bio and personality for Background
− identity groups, team, family, friends, factions.

• Exploration − interacting with the world − creating a home in the world − achieving ambitions.



In some ways, NPCs can be part of all four pillars.

 

[Imaculata]

I’m thinking there might be four pillars to the game.

There might even be five, depending on your campaign style:

• Character creation and leveling, choosing spells and equipment

• Combat

• Social

• Interacting with the world

• Actual exploration of the land / traveling / sailing

 

[Yaarel]

• Interacting with the world

• Actual exploration of the land / traveling / sailing

It seems like the difference between urban exploration versus wilderness exploration?

 

[Imaculata]

It seems like the difference between urban exploration versus wilderness exploration?

No. I think just interacting with your environment is often lumped together with actual exploring, similar to what a lot of sandbox campaigns try to do, when the two are entirely different things.

So, searching for traps, exploring a dungeon, looking for a secret door... All that could be considered part of the exploration pillar (it usually is). But when I think of exploration, I think of actually exploring the land, discovering caves, long lost cities, uncharted islands, chopping your way through a jungle with your cutlass.

Those are two entirely different activities.

 

[Yaarel]

No. I think just interacting with your environment is often lumped together with actual exploring, similar to what a lot of sandbox campaigns try to do, when the two are entirely different things.

So, searching for traps, exploring a dungeon, looking for a secret door... All that could be considered part of the exploration pillar (it usually is). But when I think of exploration, I think of actually exploring the land, discovering caves, long lost cities, uncharted islands, chopping your way through a jungle with your cutlass.

Those are two entirely different activities.

So is the difference that of scale?

10 feet versus 100 miles?

 

[Imaculata]

So is the difference that of scale?

10 feet versus 100 miles?

No, I think the difference is in the actions of the players. Exploration at its core does not really involve any skills or attributes on the part of the player. They simply make a choice where to go, and make discoveries. There may be encounters along the way that do require some checks, but I consider that more part of the interaction pillar. Exploration to me, is all about going out into the world, and finding things by traveling.

 

[Yaarel]

No, I think the difference is in the actions of the players. Exploration at its core does not really involve any skills or attributes on the part of the player. They simply make a choice where to go, and make discoveries. There may be encounters along the way that do require some checks, but I consider that more part of the interaction pillar. Exploration to me, is all about going out into the world, and finding things by traveling.

Ah! So it is narrative versus mechanical?

 

[Imaculata]

Ah! So it is narrative versus mechanical?

Exactly. Its also kind of a feeling to me. That feeling of being an old world pioneer, going into uncharted lands, and finding amazing things. And I feel it is a 'pillar' often ignored. One would almost think, based on the rules and how many people tend to run their campaign, that exploration is a thing best skipped, until there's an encounter. Because traveling is boring... right? Well... is it? Why should traveling be boring? I think it is a most important element of the game. It is the stuff that when done well, can bring the world to life.

 

[robus]

Exactly. Its also kind of a feeling to me. That feeling of being an old world pioneer, going into uncharted lands, and finding amazing things. And I feel it is a 'pillar' often ignored. One would almost think, based on the rules and how many people tend to run their campaign, that exploration is a thing best skipped, until there's an encounter. Because traveling is boring... right? Well... is it? Why should traveling be boring? I think it is a most important element of the game. It is the stuff that when done well, can bring the world to life.

Well there's the rub. If it's not done well then it can easily become boring so probably best not to risk it and just skip over to a talking/fighting bit.

The problem is, if the players don't have useful decisions to make then they're going to tune out. So the exploration encounters need to have something actionable (or at least many of them should) so that the players can productively interact with them and gain something in return: sustenance, a clue as to the nature of nearby monsters, locating some enticing ruins. Your list was great in that regard, but that doesn't seem to be the norm.

 

[Imaculata]

Well there's the rub. If it's not done well then it can easily become boring so probably best not to risk it and just skip over to a talking/fighting bit.

Well you could say that is true of any of the pillars.

The problem is, if the players don't have useful decisions to make then they're going to tune out. So the exploration encounters need to have something actionable (or at least many of them should) so that the players can productively interact with them and gain something in return: sustenance, a clue as to the nature of nearby monsters, locating some enticing ruins. Your list was great in that regard, but that doesn't seem to be the norm.

I feel that maybe the premade campaigns that are out right now could do a better job at teaching DM's how to do exploration well. Of course not every campaign needs to be a sandbox, but less focus on only combat, and more focus on those other types of encounters that you might find during exploration, could be a great addition to any campaign I feel.

I don't think the players should always be afraid to wander into the forest, thinking the DM will immediately have a hungry pack of wolves leap out of the bushes to eat their faces. Carrot, not the stick, and all that jazz. Give the players things to seek out, and reward them for it. Don't punish them the moment they go off the beaten path.

This doesn't mean that the forest can't be dangerous. But I often think the lure of adventure is better than the threat of imminent character death. It seems to me this exploration side of the game is often overlooked, or left out entirely.