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Is D&D Too Focused on Combat?
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<blockquote data-quote="lewpuls" data-source="post: 7733656" data-attributes="member: 30518"><p>Interesting analysis, and the obvious answer is “It Depends”.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Virtually all of us early D&Ders were wargamers. So of course it focused more on combat than anything else. I have always used a grid for maneuver and spatial relationships, which are the heart of warfare.</p><p></p><p></p><p>But wargames are a Baby Boomer hobby, and more recent generations have other interests. For the original players the game certainly wasn’t too focused on combat, for later generations it is. RPGs have moved from a test of survival and cooperation via military/mercenary-like missions, to “all about me” showing off, with little real danger. </p><p></p><p></p><p>To the wargamers, the extreme story-telling games aren’t even games, let alone D&D. And most wargamers want to feel in control of what happens to their characters, as much as possible, so they don’t want to be told a story, they want to write their own story. Non-wargamers are less likely to feel this way.</p><p></p><p></p><p>To me, the big flaw of 4e was that it was only about combat. The spells that helped in strategic (exploration or otherwise) activity disappeared, as did the spells that helped in “the wider world” (politics, war, becoming a ruler, etc.). Imagine a novel that was all combat (some certainly approach it). It would become tedious.</p><p></p><p></p><p>A contemporary trend in games (and life) is a dislike of constraints. Why do computer games allow such huge inventories? To avoid constraints. Most younger people play computer games and learn habits from them. Logistics are constraints. Boards/grids that require precise maneuver are constraints. So players and newer games tend to ignore such things.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="lewpuls, post: 7733656, member: 30518"] Interesting analysis, and the obvious answer is “It Depends”. Virtually all of us early D&Ders were wargamers. So of course it focused more on combat than anything else. I have always used a grid for maneuver and spatial relationships, which are the heart of warfare. But wargames are a Baby Boomer hobby, and more recent generations have other interests. For the original players the game certainly wasn’t too focused on combat, for later generations it is. RPGs have moved from a test of survival and cooperation via military/mercenary-like missions, to “all about me” showing off, with little real danger. To the wargamers, the extreme story-telling games aren’t even games, let alone D&D. And most wargamers want to feel in control of what happens to their characters, as much as possible, so they don’t want to be told a story, they want to write their own story. Non-wargamers are less likely to feel this way. To me, the big flaw of 4e was that it was only about combat. The spells that helped in strategic (exploration or otherwise) activity disappeared, as did the spells that helped in “the wider world” (politics, war, becoming a ruler, etc.). Imagine a novel that was all combat (some certainly approach it). It would become tedious. A contemporary trend in games (and life) is a dislike of constraints. Why do computer games allow such huge inventories? To avoid constraints. Most younger people play computer games and learn habits from them. Logistics are constraints. Boards/grids that require precise maneuver are constraints. So players and newer games tend to ignore such things. [/QUOTE]
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