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Is D&D Too Focused on Combat?
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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7734206" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>Fair enough, though I think I'd want to do this earlier in the process (e.g. in the first passage, to set the tone) rather than later.</p><p></p><p>Sigh*...I suppose so, given the rather poor surprise rules in use now. I see "roll for initiative" as something said only after the PCs become aware of a threat or attack.</p><p></p><p>* - sigh aimed at the rules, not at you. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>It's how I'd react, for sure.</p><p></p><p>If my character doesn't know something then I as its player shouldn't know it either.</p><p></p><p>If the character's not tipped off then I-as-player shouldn't be either. Remember, the goal is to see the action through the eyes of my character...</p><p></p><p>This is where the DM rolling in secret can help - the PCs (and thus players) don't know whether they've been lucky in not meeting anything or whether there's just nothing there to meet.</p><p></p><p>Not if you don't give them the opportunity.</p><p></p><p>Yeah, I'm afraid the few Angry DM articles I've read here and there haven't exactly thrilled me - he seems to spend too many words being Angry and not enough being DM.</p><p></p><p>Quite right. I'm trying here to speak to those whose systems do require dice to be rolled.</p><p></p><p>Not necessarily.</p><p></p><p>I can't count the number of times over the years that I've called for perception checks where a success means they realize there's in fact nothing there but a failure means they aren't sure - in other words, a false check. So, while there's times when it's obvious why I want the check (e.g. last session my crew were - from quite some distance away, using telescopes - trying to make out details about a couple of creatures guarding a bridge) there's other times it isn't - and some of those non-obvious checks are fake.</p><p></p><p>So back to the sneak through the castle example: if there's six different areas (1-point of entry, 2-passage, 3-possibly noisy door, 4-passage*, 5-drawing room, 6-passage*) I'd narrate each one as the PC approached it and want a Stealth or Move Silently (system-dependent) check to get to the next, even though I know only the ones marked with '*' hold any serious risk of discovery (passage 4 goes past an occupied room and passage 6 has a guard in it at all times). I certainly don't want to concatenate this all down to one roll as being caught in passage 4 could lead to quite different consequences than being caught in passage 6; and I want to maintain the dramatic tension given by the other likely-meaningless rolls.</p><p></p><p>It's all just a matter of slowing down and taking the necessary time.</p><p></p><p>Lanefan</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 7734206, member: 29398"] Fair enough, though I think I'd want to do this earlier in the process (e.g. in the first passage, to set the tone) rather than later. Sigh*...I suppose so, given the rather poor surprise rules in use now. I see "roll for initiative" as something said only after the PCs become aware of a threat or attack. * - sigh aimed at the rules, not at you. :) It's how I'd react, for sure. If my character doesn't know something then I as its player shouldn't know it either. If the character's not tipped off then I-as-player shouldn't be either. Remember, the goal is to see the action through the eyes of my character... This is where the DM rolling in secret can help - the PCs (and thus players) don't know whether they've been lucky in not meeting anything or whether there's just nothing there to meet. Not if you don't give them the opportunity. Yeah, I'm afraid the few Angry DM articles I've read here and there haven't exactly thrilled me - he seems to spend too many words being Angry and not enough being DM. Quite right. I'm trying here to speak to those whose systems do require dice to be rolled. Not necessarily. I can't count the number of times over the years that I've called for perception checks where a success means they realize there's in fact nothing there but a failure means they aren't sure - in other words, a false check. So, while there's times when it's obvious why I want the check (e.g. last session my crew were - from quite some distance away, using telescopes - trying to make out details about a couple of creatures guarding a bridge) there's other times it isn't - and some of those non-obvious checks are fake. So back to the sneak through the castle example: if there's six different areas (1-point of entry, 2-passage, 3-possibly noisy door, 4-passage*, 5-drawing room, 6-passage*) I'd narrate each one as the PC approached it and want a Stealth or Move Silently (system-dependent) check to get to the next, even though I know only the ones marked with '*' hold any serious risk of discovery (passage 4 goes past an occupied room and passage 6 has a guard in it at all times). I certainly don't want to concatenate this all down to one roll as being caught in passage 4 could lead to quite different consequences than being caught in passage 6; and I want to maintain the dramatic tension given by the other likely-meaningless rolls. It's all just a matter of slowing down and taking the necessary time. Lanefan [/QUOTE]
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