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RPG Combat: Sport or War?
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<blockquote data-quote="Sunseeker" data-source="post: 7726640"><p>I'll agree with this. In combat as war it is very easy to approach your enemy on even terms and thus make it combat as a sport, and there might even be some good roleplay there combined with some very in-world reasoning as to why you would do this. I think that it's important to keep in mind that pretty much everything we love from the literature that supports out favorite games almost always treats combat as a sport, even in warfare. Honorable Knights are almost <em>always</em> outnumbered by evil hordes. Parties of adventurers are almost always beset by foes in number and power much greater than their own. They rely on cleverness, tactics, creativity and often even that means they just end up running away.</p><p></p><p>Further, I disagree with [MENTION=6775031]Saelorn[/MENTION]'s assertion earlier that nobody has ever made it past 9th level. If every fight is a 50/50 chance of victory that means...nothing at all about death rates and survival to higher levels, it <em>only</em> does if you assume every fight is a fight to the death. And even then "death" is not very permanent in D&D. PC's may lose fights and be captured. PCs may lose fights and flee. PCs may lose fights and their bloodied but not-yet-dead bodies are completely ignored by the enemy for *reasons*. PCs may defeat half the forces before them before being routed. There are plenty of options where failure is still the outcome but failure does not universally equal death.</p><p></p><p>Plenty a party has lost a fight, lost and objective, lost a battle, without losing their lives. </p><p></p><p>Beyond that, I don't see it as unreasonable that getting past 9th level is highly against the odds. Aside from the fact that most editions of D&D break down after that, it sets a rather believable point where the party has gone from tomb raiders looking to make a quick buck, to genuine people of legend.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sunseeker, post: 7726640"] I'll agree with this. In combat as war it is very easy to approach your enemy on even terms and thus make it combat as a sport, and there might even be some good roleplay there combined with some very in-world reasoning as to why you would do this. I think that it's important to keep in mind that pretty much everything we love from the literature that supports out favorite games almost always treats combat as a sport, even in warfare. Honorable Knights are almost [I]always[/I] outnumbered by evil hordes. Parties of adventurers are almost always beset by foes in number and power much greater than their own. They rely on cleverness, tactics, creativity and often even that means they just end up running away. Further, I disagree with [MENTION=6775031]Saelorn[/MENTION]'s assertion earlier that nobody has ever made it past 9th level. If every fight is a 50/50 chance of victory that means...nothing at all about death rates and survival to higher levels, it [I]only[/I] does if you assume every fight is a fight to the death. And even then "death" is not very permanent in D&D. PC's may lose fights and be captured. PCs may lose fights and flee. PCs may lose fights and their bloodied but not-yet-dead bodies are completely ignored by the enemy for *reasons*. PCs may defeat half the forces before them before being routed. There are plenty of options where failure is still the outcome but failure does not universally equal death. Plenty a party has lost a fight, lost and objective, lost a battle, without losing their lives. Beyond that, I don't see it as unreasonable that getting past 9th level is highly against the odds. Aside from the fact that most editions of D&D break down after that, it sets a rather believable point where the party has gone from tomb raiders looking to make a quick buck, to genuine people of legend. [/QUOTE]
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