Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Prose, Terminology, Fluff, & Presentation: Spreadsheets or Haiku?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Lidgar" data-source="post: 5901506" data-attributes="member: 28334"><p>Funny you posted this, as I was having the same exact thoughts while on my morning jog.</p><p></p><p>I too feel this somewhat subtle issue has substantial ramifications on the way we play the game. And it is not just the way the DM uses terms - it is absolutely the way players do as well.</p><p></p><p>As another example, consider the 3e feat "Power Attack". As a DM, I can get creative with the description of the use of this feat, so it has more game immersion:</p><p></p><p> (roll Power Attack)</p><p></p><p>A player can still do this, but at some point, needs to tell the DM he/she is making a "Power Attack". Thus, the use of rules terminology can instantly pull you out of the gaming moment.</p><p></p><p>Another example is saves. One approach is to be descriptive, more like in 1e:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>vs. 3e:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Maybe in 5e:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Here, the more the descriptive, the more immersive/evocative the combat becomes.</p><p></p><p>There is no quick fix here, but a trend towards using less rules/game terminology and more descriptive text of actions, spells, etc., would be a good goal for 5e in my opinion.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lidgar, post: 5901506, member: 28334"] Funny you posted this, as I was having the same exact thoughts while on my morning jog. I too feel this somewhat subtle issue has substantial ramifications on the way we play the game. And it is not just the way the DM uses terms - it is absolutely the way players do as well. As another example, consider the 3e feat "Power Attack". As a DM, I can get creative with the description of the use of this feat, so it has more game immersion: (roll Power Attack) A player can still do this, but at some point, needs to tell the DM he/she is making a "Power Attack". Thus, the use of rules terminology can instantly pull you out of the gaming moment. Another example is saves. One approach is to be descriptive, more like in 1e: vs. 3e: Maybe in 5e: Here, the more the descriptive, the more immersive/evocative the combat becomes. There is no quick fix here, but a trend towards using less rules/game terminology and more descriptive text of actions, spells, etc., would be a good goal for 5e in my opinion. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Prose, Terminology, Fluff, & Presentation: Spreadsheets or Haiku?
Top