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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="thuryl" data-source="post: 5807864" data-attributes="member: 6689005"><p>This is fine, and it's kind of what I was getting at in my previous post. I think the difference is that I want the characters' strategic decisions to exist outside of the combat system and give context to the combat, rather than interact with the combat rules directly.</p><p></p><p>If I'm playing a game with a combat system that I enjoy, I like being able to actually use the combat mechanics to play out challenging combats. Rules-based tactical combat is something that I can enjoy for its own sake, in much the same way I might enjoy a game of chess. When my party kills off most of a group of enemies by setting off a rockslide or something instead of fighting them, I don't feel satisfied that we've won an easy victory through our wits: I feel disappointed that I've missed out on the chance for a fun fight.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I think characterising it as "smart thinking" vs. "pre-calculated formulas" is a bit unfair, just as it would be unfair for me to describe good combat-as-sport play as "smart thinking" and good combat-as-war play as "sweet-talking the GM into making your plan work". Ideally, both combat-as-sport <em>and</em> combat-as-war require smart thinking: the difference is the scope of the things you're thinking <em>about</em>.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="thuryl, post: 5807864, member: 6689005"] This is fine, and it's kind of what I was getting at in my previous post. I think the difference is that I want the characters' strategic decisions to exist outside of the combat system and give context to the combat, rather than interact with the combat rules directly. If I'm playing a game with a combat system that I enjoy, I like being able to actually use the combat mechanics to play out challenging combats. Rules-based tactical combat is something that I can enjoy for its own sake, in much the same way I might enjoy a game of chess. When my party kills off most of a group of enemies by setting off a rockslide or something instead of fighting them, I don't feel satisfied that we've won an easy victory through our wits: I feel disappointed that I've missed out on the chance for a fun fight. I think characterising it as "smart thinking" vs. "pre-calculated formulas" is a bit unfair, just as it would be unfair for me to describe good combat-as-sport play as "smart thinking" and good combat-as-war play as "sweet-talking the GM into making your plan work". Ideally, both combat-as-sport [i]and[/i] combat-as-war require smart thinking: the difference is the scope of the things you're thinking [i]about[/i]. [/QUOTE]
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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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