Is there more to D&D then Dungeon Crawling?
Psion
Adventurer
Grazzt said:The game is called Dungeons & Dragons.
So we should scrap all creatures that aren't dragons then?
C'mon. Dungeons exist as an important element. That's hardly a reason to limit the scope to the game. There have been a lot of threads (and products) on seafaring adventures lately as well. There are some famous city based adventures and supplements. There's room for all sorts of fantasy adventures in D&D.
Honestly, Fields and Dragons is a lot more scary than Dungeons and Dragons.
The second those dragons are airborne under a limitless sky, able to snatch you, drop you, skedaddle to heal or drop a few fireballs on you from .1 miles up, do fly by attacks etc... you wish you were deep in a dungeon.
The second those dragons are airborne under a limitless sky, able to snatch you, drop you, skedaddle to heal or drop a few fireballs on you from .1 miles up, do fly by attacks etc... you wish you were deep in a dungeon.
BryonD
Hero
I believe D&D is, at its heart, a light game of explore and conquer.
Its core popularity and general market stability are founded in dungeon clearing, treasure scooping and level advancing. A lot of people who play infrequently, and virtually all younger players, play this way. They don't get hung up on things like character development. Or, rather, things like finding a +2 sword or gaining the ability to toss EMPOWERED fireballs ARE character development.
I bet there are more people who view it that way than as a deep plot development experience. (or even shallow plot development )
But those people are far underrepresented at ENWorld. For obvious reasons. Didn't we determine some time back that regular posters here are somthing like 50% DMs? I know that none of my players post here.
Certainly we spend more per person than the lighter players do. But they still represent a core support. If they were not there, we would notice the repercussions.
So the rules of the game maintain SOME bias towards dungeon crawls. One segment prefers that and the other segment wants it in as part of the overall mix. So it gets more than an equal share.
Obviously the core rules provide for MUCH more than just this. I don't think it would be accurate to call it truly a Dungeon Crawling game or an all-enclusive world experience game. It is an all enclusive game, with a clear bias towards dungeons.
So my answer to the question in the first post is "focused far more on dungeons".
But remember, you will find a fair number of statistical aberrations in this poll, but the target audience is composed of statistical aberrations. (Though I'd guess its around 1/3+ of gamers, so aberration may not be the best word.)
Besides, those of us who prefer more variety tend to be much more comfortable, not to mention inclined, to house-rule or otherwise tweak things. Which is good for the industry because it makes this minor problem largely self-correcting.
Its core popularity and general market stability are founded in dungeon clearing, treasure scooping and level advancing. A lot of people who play infrequently, and virtually all younger players, play this way. They don't get hung up on things like character development. Or, rather, things like finding a +2 sword or gaining the ability to toss EMPOWERED fireballs ARE character development.
I bet there are more people who view it that way than as a deep plot development experience. (or even shallow plot development
)But those people are far underrepresented at ENWorld. For obvious reasons. Didn't we determine some time back that regular posters here are somthing like 50% DMs? I know that none of my players post here.
Certainly we spend more per person than the lighter players do. But they still represent a core support. If they were not there, we would notice the repercussions.
So the rules of the game maintain SOME bias towards dungeon crawls. One segment prefers that and the other segment wants it in as part of the overall mix. So it gets more than an equal share.
Obviously the core rules provide for MUCH more than just this. I don't think it would be accurate to call it truly a Dungeon Crawling game or an all-enclusive world experience game. It is an all enclusive game, with a clear bias towards dungeons.
So my answer to the question in the first post is "focused far more on dungeons".
But remember, you will find a fair number of statistical aberrations in this poll, but the target audience is composed of statistical aberrations. (Though I'd guess its around 1/3+ of gamers, so aberration may not be the best word.)
Besides, those of us who prefer more variety tend to be much more comfortable, not to mention inclined, to house-rule or otherwise tweak things. Which is good for the industry because it makes this minor problem largely self-correcting.
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BryonD
Hero
Psion said:
That is true, but it is important to make a distinction between WotC products and 3rd party products. 3rd party stuff tends to be aimed more at the ENWorld community type players.
Not to say that WotC doesn't include sailing. But just that the BIAS towards dungeons in the core rules also appears (slightly less) in their other products.
Obviously there are still exceptions, Necromancers "First Edition Feel" stuff for example.
Davelozzi
Explorer
We play a pretty good mix in my campaign, and so that's what I voted. We started out a little more dungeon heavy than I usually do because we were new to the rules and opted to start with a few published modules. But now that the campaign has picked up some direction of its own, city and wilderness action is better represnted.
But, if we're talking about the rules as published, yes the focus is mainly on dungeons. I appreciate that they added some more wilderness and city info in the revision, but I wish it would have been more general advice/discussion on running urban/wilderness campaigns and adventures, rather than just a run down of how the terrain affects my battle map. I really don't need to know what the % chance of there being a tree in any given square is.
But, if we're talking about the rules as published, yes the focus is mainly on dungeons. I appreciate that they added some more wilderness and city info in the revision, but I wish it would have been more general advice/discussion on running urban/wilderness campaigns and adventures, rather than just a run down of how the terrain affects my battle map. I really don't need to know what the % chance of there being a tree in any given square is.
Wombat
First Post
Okay, the title of the poll and the title of the thread are a bit different, so I guess this is a two-part answer...
In my games, at least, there is much more to D&D than dungeons. In fact in my current campaign we have only been in one "dungeon" (a cave complex) during its run. We tend to emphasize character interaction, moral choices and, to a lesser extent, combat, but without the minis feel (no board, no figures, etc.).
Now as to what the rule books emphasize, well, that is a different matter. The rules are first and formost a set of combat rules, with a lot of emphasis on contained environements, the titular "Dungeon". I know some would argue that the rules talk about a lot more than just combat, but when you look at the bonuses available to characters, the types of spells written up, the bennes from magical items, and all the rest, as well as a whole volume just dedicated to opponents, it becomes obvious that the primary thrust of the game is direct combat. Equally experience points are given primarily for defeating opponents. When you look at the combat rules themselves, there are many examples regarding walls, cover, lighting, traps, and other concepts that, taken as a group, highlight the notion of the dungeon environment.
This does not mean that the D&D rules can't be used for a non-combat, non-dungeon sort of games; my own campaign alone should prove that. But if you are talking about what the rules themselves emphasize, I would have to say dungeon crawls.
In my games, at least, there is much more to D&D than dungeons. In fact in my current campaign we have only been in one "dungeon" (a cave complex) during its run. We tend to emphasize character interaction, moral choices and, to a lesser extent, combat, but without the minis feel (no board, no figures, etc.).
Now as to what the rule books emphasize, well, that is a different matter. The rules are first and formost a set of combat rules, with a lot of emphasis on contained environements, the titular "Dungeon". I know some would argue that the rules talk about a lot more than just combat, but when you look at the bonuses available to characters, the types of spells written up, the bennes from magical items, and all the rest, as well as a whole volume just dedicated to opponents, it becomes obvious that the primary thrust of the game is direct combat. Equally experience points are given primarily for defeating opponents. When you look at the combat rules themselves, there are many examples regarding walls, cover, lighting, traps, and other concepts that, taken as a group, highlight the notion of the dungeon environment.
This does not mean that the D&D rules can't be used for a non-combat, non-dungeon sort of games; my own campaign alone should prove that. But if you are talking about what the rules themselves emphasize, I would have to say dungeon crawls.
Goddess FallenAngel
Explorer
Well, lots of posts from people saying the the focus is far more on dungeons... yet the poll says that "A good mix of both" is in the lead.
Maybe I should have asked a different question - like, "Why do you believe that the focus in the rules is on dungeons?" I have yet to see what an answer that is truly convincing....
Maybe I should have asked a different question - like, "Why do you believe that the focus in the rules is on dungeons?" I have yet to see what an answer that is truly convincing....
Nine Hands
Explorer
While the rules themselves are not specifically aligned towards dungeoneering, it is a major part of the game. However, you can easily play both types of games and even intrigue based games without any changes to the basic rules structure. I voted for a mix of the two.
But one thing remains....squares. Yup, those squares really make it more like a dungeoneering game for me Which is something I dislike when running in less square environments.
Some of the battles I have run out doors have just used miniature terrain and we eye balled everything. The other night I ran a combat aboard a ship (a nicely built one for gaming) with 1 inch hexes. It worked pretty well IMHO.
But one thing remains....squares. Yup, those squares really make it more like a dungeoneering game for me
Which is something I dislike when running in less square environments. Some of the battles I have run out doors have just used miniature terrain and we eye balled everything. The other night I ran a combat aboard a ship (a nicely built one for gaming) with 1 inch hexes. It worked pretty well IMHO.
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