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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="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 5810248" data-attributes="member: 82106"><p>Just speaking for myself what I found was that a game where the PCs are fairly durable and the focus is not so much on the trivia of rations and healing potions and where taking big risks is at least fathomable for the players because they can gauge what they can and cannot accomplish and their plans are not so likely to be unraveled by a single die toss is a nice tool here. Giving the DM a good bit of control over built-in PC agency helps too. I think 4e actually did this really well.</p><p></p><p>You can have an overwhelmingly powerful enemy and still know that there's a decent chance you can run his gauntlet. Crazy risks in the midst of action sequences aren't hanging on the thread of your measly 2 digit supply of hit points and potion bottles. You can focus on the stakes that are put in place by the structure of the narrative to a higher degree. Tools exist to allow the DM to provide other minor threats that serve to contrast and emphasize the more interesting stakes (things like minions and just the general fact that a few standard monsters will be an obstacle but not a brick wall if the players are even modestly competent).</p><p></p><p>Of course all of this really puts a requirement on the DM to exercise creativity in the area of plot and narrative in ways that you just don't find in most D&D stuff. Sadly the WotC devs seem blissfully ignorant of this dimension of the game (and some other related aspects as well that are kind of OT here). Its odd really, they seem to have produced a game squarely aimed at this kind of play mechanically, and I read stuff like Chris Perkin's columns where he seems to get it thoroughly, yet the presentation of the game and adventure/setting material that has been supplied with it has rarely shown any hint that its creators were even aware of this. Lately I think they've perhaps started to wake up to it, but clearly too little too late and now we'll be dumped back into the Gygaxian maze just when it might have gotten interesting. Ah well...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="AbdulAlhazred, post: 5810248, member: 82106"] Just speaking for myself what I found was that a game where the PCs are fairly durable and the focus is not so much on the trivia of rations and healing potions and where taking big risks is at least fathomable for the players because they can gauge what they can and cannot accomplish and their plans are not so likely to be unraveled by a single die toss is a nice tool here. Giving the DM a good bit of control over built-in PC agency helps too. I think 4e actually did this really well. You can have an overwhelmingly powerful enemy and still know that there's a decent chance you can run his gauntlet. Crazy risks in the midst of action sequences aren't hanging on the thread of your measly 2 digit supply of hit points and potion bottles. You can focus on the stakes that are put in place by the structure of the narrative to a higher degree. Tools exist to allow the DM to provide other minor threats that serve to contrast and emphasize the more interesting stakes (things like minions and just the general fact that a few standard monsters will be an obstacle but not a brick wall if the players are even modestly competent). Of course all of this really puts a requirement on the DM to exercise creativity in the area of plot and narrative in ways that you just don't find in most D&D stuff. Sadly the WotC devs seem blissfully ignorant of this dimension of the game (and some other related aspects as well that are kind of OT here). Its odd really, they seem to have produced a game squarely aimed at this kind of play mechanically, and I read stuff like Chris Perkin's columns where he seems to get it thoroughly, yet the presentation of the game and adventure/setting material that has been supplied with it has rarely shown any hint that its creators were even aware of this. Lately I think they've perhaps started to wake up to it, but clearly too little too late and now we'll be dumped back into the Gygaxian maze just when it might have gotten interesting. Ah well... [/QUOTE]
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