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Why use D&D for a Simulationist style Game?
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6349370" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>For me, the core point of [MENTION=22779]Hussar[/MENTION]'s OP is that D&D is not a sim system in the way that GURPS, RM, RQ, C&S, HARP, etc are sim systems:</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">*It uses hit points rather than modelling biological injury processes;</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">*It uses AC rather than modelling dodging and parrying and armour absorbing/turning blows;</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">*It uses a sometimes baroque initiative system and action economy rather than trying to model continous motion and physical action;</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">*It uses classes and levels rather than some sort of skill system to try and model the diversity of human learning and knowledge/skill acquisition;</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">*Etc.</p><p></p><p>These are observations, not criticisms.</p><p></p><p>Plenty of posters, on this and on previous threads, reply by saying that the D&D rules are "sim enough" for them, or give them as much sim as they feel they need, relative to complexity, or avoiding death spirals, or whatever other consideration is underpinning the compromise.</p><p></p><p>For me, the <em>significance</em> of this is that, once you recognise that you are compromising with sim for some other reason, how can you then look at a game that draws the line of compromise in a different place and say that - unlike your game - it is not an RPG at all? Or lacks verisimilitude in some fundamental way? It may not be a game that you want to play, because it doesn't draw the compromise where you would prefer it to be drawn. But presumably other reasonable and rational people might drawn the line of compromise somewhere else.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 6349370, member: 42582"] For me, the core point of [MENTION=22779]Hussar[/MENTION]'s OP is that D&D is not a sim system in the way that GURPS, RM, RQ, C&S, HARP, etc are sim systems: [indent]*It uses hit points rather than modelling biological injury processes; *It uses AC rather than modelling dodging and parrying and armour absorbing/turning blows; *It uses a sometimes baroque initiative system and action economy rather than trying to model continous motion and physical action; *It uses classes and levels rather than some sort of skill system to try and model the diversity of human learning and knowledge/skill acquisition; *Etc.[/indent] These are observations, not criticisms. Plenty of posters, on this and on previous threads, reply by saying that the D&D rules are "sim enough" for them, or give them as much sim as they feel they need, relative to complexity, or avoiding death spirals, or whatever other consideration is underpinning the compromise. For me, the [I]significance[/I] of this is that, once you recognise that you are compromising with sim for some other reason, how can you then look at a game that draws the line of compromise in a different place and say that - unlike your game - it is not an RPG at all? Or lacks verisimilitude in some fundamental way? It may not be a game that you want to play, because it doesn't draw the compromise where you would prefer it to be drawn. But presumably other reasonable and rational people might drawn the line of compromise somewhere else. [/QUOTE]
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Why use D&D for a Simulationist style Game?
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