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<blockquote data-quote="Libramarian" data-source="post: 5967420" data-attributes="member: 6688858"><p>I think you can keep many of them ignorant with relatively opaque system math, and by just presenting randomness as the default for everything: random ability scores, random encounters, random treasure. Or you can emphasize in the DM's advice section that their job is NOT necessarily to make sure that everyone enjoys themselves. It's when you say that that's the DM's job (or just not say that it's not, because it's an intuitive assumption) and then offer them optional tools to take increased control over the game experience that calling them optional is kind of a lie.</p><p></p><p>Maybe there would be statistical analysis of the monsters online, but that's still a useful distance.</p><p></p><p>1e and Basic presented very random encounters and characters as the default, and then there were little notes of advice saying you don't always have to roll for everything, and take it easy with the random encounters on the way to the dungeon, etc. That to me is more like presenting the two approaches fairly.</p><p></p><p>Um, yeah in a sense. Going back to the article, it says the game will present choosing encounters based on "story" (this seems to mean a lot of different things to the DDN designers) and choosing encounters with the mechanical encounter construction tools as equal. Meaning they will present the tools as optional.</p><p></p><p>To me that's kind of a Hobson's choice, because what am I going to TPK the PCs, or even just trap them in some repetitive or otherwise mechanically boring battle if I could have prevented that by using the encounter construction tools? I would be a jerk as a DM.</p><p></p><p>One of the things I like about 1e is the PCs have a "long tail" of success probability against more powerful opponents. This I think is for two reasons: one, 1e PCs often have some kind of grenade stashed in their back pocket to get them out of dire circumstances, like a potion of gaseous form or a wand of lightning. They rarely use these resources but they can turn to them if they run into an unexpectedly powerful opponent. Two, if the DM has good chemistry with the players when it comes to adjudicating corner cases and improvisational schemes (1e DMs practice this as a matter of course, for ex. deciding how many segments miscellaneous actions take) then they can subtly become more receptive to the players' ideas and easier on them if the going is unexpectedly tough, so that the group can narrate a way together to get the PCs out of the jam.</p><p></p><p>I like that better as a solution to the accidental TPK problem.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libramarian, post: 5967420, member: 6688858"] I think you can keep many of them ignorant with relatively opaque system math, and by just presenting randomness as the default for everything: random ability scores, random encounters, random treasure. Or you can emphasize in the DM's advice section that their job is NOT necessarily to make sure that everyone enjoys themselves. It's when you say that that's the DM's job (or just not say that it's not, because it's an intuitive assumption) and then offer them optional tools to take increased control over the game experience that calling them optional is kind of a lie. Maybe there would be statistical analysis of the monsters online, but that's still a useful distance. 1e and Basic presented very random encounters and characters as the default, and then there were little notes of advice saying you don't always have to roll for everything, and take it easy with the random encounters on the way to the dungeon, etc. That to me is more like presenting the two approaches fairly. Um, yeah in a sense. Going back to the article, it says the game will present choosing encounters based on "story" (this seems to mean a lot of different things to the DDN designers) and choosing encounters with the mechanical encounter construction tools as equal. Meaning they will present the tools as optional. To me that's kind of a Hobson's choice, because what am I going to TPK the PCs, or even just trap them in some repetitive or otherwise mechanically boring battle if I could have prevented that by using the encounter construction tools? I would be a jerk as a DM. One of the things I like about 1e is the PCs have a "long tail" of success probability against more powerful opponents. This I think is for two reasons: one, 1e PCs often have some kind of grenade stashed in their back pocket to get them out of dire circumstances, like a potion of gaseous form or a wand of lightning. They rarely use these resources but they can turn to them if they run into an unexpectedly powerful opponent. Two, if the DM has good chemistry with the players when it comes to adjudicating corner cases and improvisational schemes (1e DMs practice this as a matter of course, for ex. deciding how many segments miscellaneous actions take) then they can subtly become more receptive to the players' ideas and easier on them if the going is unexpectedly tough, so that the group can narrate a way together to get the PCs out of the jam. I like that better as a solution to the accidental TPK problem. [/QUOTE]
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