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General Tabletop Discussion
D&D Older Editions
In Defense of 4E - a New Campaign Perspective
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<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 7602933" data-attributes="member: 996"><p>The latter. It's a complete mental block. Not for want of having them (or hps) explained, either. </p><p>You'd have more luck explaining fire to a fish.</p><p></p><p> Or, even better(worse?): you don't bother. Because the game isn't running a simulation in the background, it's only there to be played.</p><p></p><p> Even so that 'pretend verisimilitude' - if it could be achieved - would be a aesthetically pleasing piece of game design. The ideal is understandable. Yes, it'd be awesome if a system, like a good scientific theory, elegantly modeled not only what it was created for, but accurately modeled or predicted unexpected phenomena, as well.</p><p></p><p>Games are designed to play well (games that don't suck, anyway), RPGs thus don't model an imagined fantasy world, so much as the experience or story of the PCs in that world. Sometimes, though, a system will have hints of modeling the backdrop world - 3.5 had more than a few, like NPC classes & crafting skills - and that just fires the imaginations of some fans. They want to believe the system is or can be some sort of fantasy G.U.T.</p><p></p><p> If it was only wizards erasing minions with fireballs and the like, I'm sure it'd be OK. If you can work "but magic!" into it, there's generally a free pass to be had. If minions only dropped dead instantly when attacked by magic, but had hps when being beaten on, that'd be fine. </p><p></p><p>4e pushed so many hot-buttons all at once it's amazing Hiensoo didn't get 3rd-degree burns.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 7602933, member: 996"] The latter. It's a complete mental block. Not for want of having them (or hps) explained, either. You'd have more luck explaining fire to a fish. Or, even better(worse?): you don't bother. Because the game isn't running a simulation in the background, it's only there to be played. Even so that 'pretend verisimilitude' - if it could be achieved - would be a aesthetically pleasing piece of game design. The ideal is understandable. Yes, it'd be awesome if a system, like a good scientific theory, elegantly modeled not only what it was created for, but accurately modeled or predicted unexpected phenomena, as well. Games are designed to play well (games that don't suck, anyway), RPGs thus don't model an imagined fantasy world, so much as the experience or story of the PCs in that world. Sometimes, though, a system will have hints of modeling the backdrop world - 3.5 had more than a few, like NPC classes & crafting skills - and that just fires the imaginations of some fans. They want to believe the system is or can be some sort of fantasy G.U.T. If it was only wizards erasing minions with fireballs and the like, I'm sure it'd be OK. If you can work "but magic!" into it, there's generally a free pass to be had. If minions only dropped dead instantly when attacked by magic, but had hps when being beaten on, that'd be fine. 4e pushed so many hot-buttons all at once it's amazing Hiensoo didn't get 3rd-degree burns. [/QUOTE]
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