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"Combat Optimized" versus "Role-playing" -- One Dude's Perspective (looong)
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<blockquote data-quote="Antithetist" data-source="post: 5112849" data-attributes="member: 88443"><p>If this was true, wouldn't GURPS be outselling D&D? </p><p></p><p> I think D&D has got as popular as it has by focusing on a hack-and-slash playstyle, and honing that. At various points it has opened up a little to include more rules-coverage of non-combat challenges and tasks, and that's cool and all, but there's still an inbuilt assumption that your characters' daily lives will include a healthy dose of monster-slaying. There are plenty of systems out there which don't include that assumption whatsoever. </p><p></p><p> In fact, I'd say that assumption has a lot to do with D&D's popularity. When new players sit down at the table, go through their character creation process, and ask 'what now?' the question is swiftly answered: kill some goblins, take their stuff. It practically runs itself. Compare that to, say, Vampire: the Masquerade. 'What now?'... uhh, I dunno. Let's sit around in Elysium preening and bitching at each other? </p><p></p><p> I'm not saying that D&D can't be used to run more complex and thoughtful games - any one of the classic Story Hours around here could prove me wrong on that count. But there's something all those D&D Story Hours have in common, and that's that no matter how epic and compelling the stories get, no matter how intelligent and thoughtful the themes are, they're still punctuated with sizeable chunks of tactical combat. 'Cos that's what D&D does.</p><p></p><p> Now, I wouldn't claim that you're playing D&D 'wrong' if you don't focus on combat - but I <em>would</em> suggest that other systems may be better suited to you.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Antithetist, post: 5112849, member: 88443"] If this was true, wouldn't GURPS be outselling D&D? I think D&D has got as popular as it has by focusing on a hack-and-slash playstyle, and honing that. At various points it has opened up a little to include more rules-coverage of non-combat challenges and tasks, and that's cool and all, but there's still an inbuilt assumption that your characters' daily lives will include a healthy dose of monster-slaying. There are plenty of systems out there which don't include that assumption whatsoever. In fact, I'd say that assumption has a lot to do with D&D's popularity. When new players sit down at the table, go through their character creation process, and ask 'what now?' the question is swiftly answered: kill some goblins, take their stuff. It practically runs itself. Compare that to, say, Vampire: the Masquerade. 'What now?'... uhh, I dunno. Let's sit around in Elysium preening and bitching at each other? I'm not saying that D&D can't be used to run more complex and thoughtful games - any one of the classic Story Hours around here could prove me wrong on that count. But there's something all those D&D Story Hours have in common, and that's that no matter how epic and compelling the stories get, no matter how intelligent and thoughtful the themes are, they're still punctuated with sizeable chunks of tactical combat. 'Cos that's what D&D does. Now, I wouldn't claim that you're playing D&D 'wrong' if you don't focus on combat - but I [i]would[/i] suggest that other systems may be better suited to you. [/QUOTE]
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