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General Tabletop Discussion
D&D Older Editions
Brainstorming a "Phil. of 4e 101" resource
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<blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6701186" data-attributes="member: 6696971"><p>Just a quick post (relates to my one above). D&D has historically promised that it supported the genre of Heroic/Romantic Fantasy on the tin and in the forewords. However, the system infrastructure, play procedures, and GMing principles never really supported it without heavy-handed use of GM force (eg you get coherent heroic/romantic fantasy spinning out of play only by the GM circumventing or abridging the action resolution mechanics and their authentic results - eg players propelling the game - while substituting - forcing - the GM's own preferred genre outcomes/metaplot). This, to me, is why 4e is so beloved by the people that enjoy it. </p><p></p><p>As I GM, I get to spend all of my mental overhead on creating conflicts/situations where I can focus on theme, scene dynamism, and interesting fallout because I know the math will hold up. I get to play the adversarial components "full bore". My prep is minimal given the simplicity of the Recharge mechanics, the monster math, and the SC framework. I get to "play to find out what happens". And what happens naturally, as a course of merely playing the game adeptly and allowing its momentum to gather, is these heroic/romantic fantasy tropes emerge. </p><p></p><p>Players get to play heroic/romantic characters with deep ties to the conflicts (via the game's mythic history, Quests, and the PC build resources at all tiers) who have the means (balanced, symmetrical resource scheduling, the Rally dynamic, and the recharge mechanics), the supporting system infrastructure (clear, robust resolution mechanics for combat and noncombat conflict resolution), and the understanding that the GMing tools/principles ensure that play will be as player-driven (and GM-forceless) as possible.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Manbearcat, post: 6701186, member: 6696971"] Just a quick post (relates to my one above). D&D has historically promised that it supported the genre of Heroic/Romantic Fantasy on the tin and in the forewords. However, the system infrastructure, play procedures, and GMing principles never really supported it without heavy-handed use of GM force (eg you get coherent heroic/romantic fantasy spinning out of play only by the GM circumventing or abridging the action resolution mechanics and their authentic results - eg players propelling the game - while substituting - forcing - the GM's own preferred genre outcomes/metaplot). This, to me, is why 4e is so beloved by the people that enjoy it. As I GM, I get to spend all of my mental overhead on creating conflicts/situations where I can focus on theme, scene dynamism, and interesting fallout because I know the math will hold up. I get to play the adversarial components "full bore". My prep is minimal given the simplicity of the Recharge mechanics, the monster math, and the SC framework. I get to "play to find out what happens". And what happens naturally, as a course of merely playing the game adeptly and allowing its momentum to gather, is these heroic/romantic fantasy tropes emerge. Players get to play heroic/romantic characters with deep ties to the conflicts (via the game's mythic history, Quests, and the PC build resources at all tiers) who have the means (balanced, symmetrical resource scheduling, the Rally dynamic, and the recharge mechanics), the supporting system infrastructure (clear, robust resolution mechanics for combat and noncombat conflict resolution), and the understanding that the GMing tools/principles ensure that play will be as player-driven (and GM-forceless) as possible. [/QUOTE]
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