D&D General What *is* D&D? (mild movie spoilers)

[Ruin Explorer]

It's possible to acknowledge the way someone else plays as D&D, even if it's not the kind of D&D you happen to like yourself.

I mean, personally that's how I read his post - that this was D&D but not the kind of D&D he liked.

And I'm not exactly the most generous soul on the planet when it comes to interpretation.

@DND_Reborn, and I hope he won't mind me saying this, has an idiosyncratic view of D&D, and runs his own game with extremely heavy but well-designed and fascinating house rules. So I wouldn't expect him to see this as "D&D to him". So I think reading in that anyone who plays D&D this way (i.e. "most of us" lol) isn't playing D&D is wrong - it's that they're not playing D&D the way he runs it.

 

[Micah Sweet]

There isn't really a difference. "In my opinion" is implicit in any forum post, so adding it, or words to that effect, does not change the meaning.

"Not D&D to me" means the same as "In my opinion, I don't think it's D&D", which means the same as "if you play D&D like it is in the movie, in my opinion you are not playing D&D at all". Which is why people take offence (even if none was intended).

It's possible to acknowledge the way someone else plays as D&D, even if it's not the kind of D&D you happen to like yourself.

So you're saying the question, "What is D&D" is always offensive, because whatever answer you give will offend someone who disagrees?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

So you're saying the question, "What is D&D" is always offensive, because whatever answer you give will offend someone who disagrees?

The question isn't, but any answer that excludes people is.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The question isn't, but any answer that excludes people is.

Every answer that isn't, "it's whatever your imagination wants it to be!" Excludes somebody. Which means that, by your standards, D&D is undefinable for social reasons.

 

[Hussar]

What I find truly hillarious is that I've been told I haven't been playing D&D for about three decades or so. When I started playing 3e, that wasn't "really" D&D. When I started playing 4e, whoo boy, that REALLY wasn't D&D. Then I started playing 5e, and, shock and surprise, I got told repeatedly that what WotC produces isn't really D&D.

Hell, I got told that my 2e play wasn't really D&D. Thinking about it, I played 1e with Unearthed Arcana and I've had multiple people on these boards tell me that that isn't really D&D.

I haven't the foggiest notion what D&D is, but, whatever it is, people seem damned determined to tell me that I'm not playing it.

 

[Micah Sweet]

What I find truly hillarious is that I've been told I haven't been playing D&D for about three decades or so. When I started playing 3e, that wasn't "really" D&D. When I started playing 4e, whoo boy, that REALLY wasn't D&D. Then I started playing 5e, and, shock and surprise, I got told repeatedly that what WotC produces isn't really D&D.

Hell, I got told that my 2e play wasn't really D&D. Thinking about it, I played 1e with Unearthed Arcana and I've had multiple people on these boards tell me that that isn't really D&D.

I haven't the foggiest notion what D&D is, but, whatever it is, people seem damned determined to tell me that I'm not playing it.

Where are these people? I don't see any here.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Have you seen Pathfinder (the movie, not the RPG!)?

I've never even heard of it!

There is Vikings and The Last Kingdom on TV.

Norsemen is probably a lot more accurate to how D&D is actually played.

The first Conan movie OC.

I think the first Conan movie is a lot grittier in memory than upon a rewatch. I watched again for the first time in ages last year and it's not much grittier than Xena.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What I find truly hillarious is that I've been told I haven't been playing D&D for about three decades or so. When I started playing 3e, that wasn't "really" D&D. When I started playing 4e, whoo boy, that REALLY wasn't D&D. Then I started playing 5e, and, shock and surprise, I got told repeatedly that what WotC produces isn't really D&D.

Hell, I got told that my 2e play wasn't really D&D. Thinking about it, I played 1e with Unearthed Arcana and I've had multiple people on these boards tell me that that isn't really D&D.

I haven't the foggiest notion what D&D is, but, whatever it is, people seem damned determined to tell me that I'm not playing it.

Lean into it and start playing Toon. (Seriously, Toon is a delight.)

 

[MWLewis]

Here is a 1e junky's thoughts on the movie:

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I think the first Conan movie is a lot grittier in memory than upon a rewatch.

I don't think it's so much the grittiness, so much as the low tech low magic feel, and simply taking it very very seriously.

You are really looking at historical drama, but not medieval historical drama, since that has too much civilisation (and glass!) to be Caves of Chaosy.