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[Very Long] Combat as Sport vs. Combat as War: a Key Difference in D&D Play Styles...
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<blockquote data-quote="Kannik" data-source="post: 5804720" data-attributes="member: 984"><p>I think it is actually quite easy to accommodate both playstyles (for I see it as a playstyle discussion) in one edition. What SW says above is the key to the discussion to have in the DMG.</p><p></p><p>The DMG, and the rules with "Encounter Level" and etc, simply provides a framework for what is a "fair fight", aka a Combat as Sport fight. If your X players go up against Y creatures/npcs, then there's a good sporting chance as to the outcome (perhaps slightly favouring the PCs).</p><p></p><p>But if you want to play CaW, then that's easy. You know now what's the baseline -- you can easily make the fight easier or harder. For the Bees example, no problem -- add more and more bees. Or it's a big dragon. Or the thousand hordes of hordiness. Or the terrain is against them. Any of those. Then you let the PCs work their way to regain the even ground, or even the advantage. Smoke, diversions, causing avalanches, deception, bypassing the enemy, etc. All of that can happen irregardless of what kind of encounter ruleset you have. </p><p></p><p>"Appropriate Level Mindset" is just that, a mindset. I don't think the DMG has ever said "you shalt only ever throw encounters of this level vs your PCs" (maybe it did, and I missed it <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite7" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":p" /> ), and irregardless of whether it did it could simply state "this is how to make an evenly matched fight, now go and futz with it to suit your campaign and player style(s)!"</p><p></p><p>And then your players can get all crafty-like and cackle evilly as they come up with their wild and crazy plans. I likes my wild and crazy plans... <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite8" alt=":D" title="Big grin :D" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":D" /></p><p></p><p>... and as a DM I would have a system that lets me dial it up or down depending on what works for my group, my campaign, and within their wild and crazy plans. To me, nothing about having a fair fight/sport baseline implies that it would limit or nullify Combat as War as a playstyle, on the contrary, it gives me more information and groundwork to lay my CaW campaign around. </p><p></p><p>peace,</p><p></p><p>Kannik</p><p>(who is starting to think that the unification goals would be best served by some great discussion in the DMG around playstyles and how/what in the rules to use to support them, and discussing intermixing them and the joy of each of them, and etc)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Kannik, post: 5804720, member: 984"] I think it is actually quite easy to accommodate both playstyles (for I see it as a playstyle discussion) in one edition. What SW says above is the key to the discussion to have in the DMG. The DMG, and the rules with "Encounter Level" and etc, simply provides a framework for what is a "fair fight", aka a Combat as Sport fight. If your X players go up against Y creatures/npcs, then there's a good sporting chance as to the outcome (perhaps slightly favouring the PCs). But if you want to play CaW, then that's easy. You know now what's the baseline -- you can easily make the fight easier or harder. For the Bees example, no problem -- add more and more bees. Or it's a big dragon. Or the thousand hordes of hordiness. Or the terrain is against them. Any of those. Then you let the PCs work their way to regain the even ground, or even the advantage. Smoke, diversions, causing avalanches, deception, bypassing the enemy, etc. All of that can happen irregardless of what kind of encounter ruleset you have. "Appropriate Level Mindset" is just that, a mindset. I don't think the DMG has ever said "you shalt only ever throw encounters of this level vs your PCs" (maybe it did, and I missed it :P ), and irregardless of whether it did it could simply state "this is how to make an evenly matched fight, now go and futz with it to suit your campaign and player style(s)!" And then your players can get all crafty-like and cackle evilly as they come up with their wild and crazy plans. I likes my wild and crazy plans... :D ... and as a DM I would have a system that lets me dial it up or down depending on what works for my group, my campaign, and within their wild and crazy plans. To me, nothing about having a fair fight/sport baseline implies that it would limit or nullify Combat as War as a playstyle, on the contrary, it gives me more information and groundwork to lay my CaW campaign around. peace, Kannik (who is starting to think that the unification goals would be best served by some great discussion in the DMG around playstyles and how/what in the rules to use to support them, and discussing intermixing them and the joy of each of them, and etc) [/QUOTE]
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