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Dragon Reflections #16 – Gygax Fights Back!
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<blockquote data-quote="TrippyHippy" data-source="post: 7763031" data-attributes="member: 27252"><p>I remember, when I first started gaming, the familiar and prevailant debate in the roleplaying hobby was all about 'realism'. </p><p></p><p>RuneQuest was THE alternative game that challenged D&D, and it first came out in 1978, so maybe Gygax's words are a response to that challenge. RuneQuest was generally percieved as amuch more 'realistic' game system, and was rooted in the interpretations of live action historical re-enactment enthusiasts. </p><p></p><p>The debate through the 1980s tended to be coined as "Role-playing vs Roll-Playing", which was a nascent form of debate to what eventually seems to have been coined as "Narrativism vs Simulationism" in the 1990s. </p><p></p><p>However, I think the real issue that people had with D&D was actually less to do with realistic simulation as it was to do with illogical rules and restrictions in the D&D/AD&D game. Wizards and Clerics can't use swords? Only Thieves can use skills? Fire and Forget spells? Female characters can't have a Strength more than 16? </p><p></p><p>The issue in all of these is not so much an issue with 'realism' as it is with not being able to play with the options you want to make the character you want.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TrippyHippy, post: 7763031, member: 27252"] I remember, when I first started gaming, the familiar and prevailant debate in the roleplaying hobby was all about 'realism'. RuneQuest was THE alternative game that challenged D&D, and it first came out in 1978, so maybe Gygax's words are a response to that challenge. RuneQuest was generally percieved as amuch more 'realistic' game system, and was rooted in the interpretations of live action historical re-enactment enthusiasts. The debate through the 1980s tended to be coined as "Role-playing vs Roll-Playing", which was a nascent form of debate to what eventually seems to have been coined as "Narrativism vs Simulationism" in the 1990s. However, I think the real issue that people had with D&D was actually less to do with realistic simulation as it was to do with illogical rules and restrictions in the D&D/AD&D game. Wizards and Clerics can't use swords? Only Thieves can use skills? Fire and Forget spells? Female characters can't have a Strength more than 16? The issue in all of these is not so much an issue with 'realism' as it is with not being able to play with the options you want to make the character you want. [/QUOTE]
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