Do you play more for the story or the combat?

[Aeolius]

Wrap it up and vote already.

I did... and did some ice sculpting with my own breath, while I waited.

It has been nearly 14 years since I last DMed an actual tabletop game of D&D, I've been running games online since then. Granted, even when I ran games offline, I was fond of telling players "Okay, put the books away, we won't be using them today."

 

[Mallus]

You learn the role through roleplaying it. You are not creating it. Or authoring it in a storytelling sense.

Then who is authoring it?

IOW, you cannot explore a role that doesn't exist prior to your exploration of it.

I imagine some actors and most writers of fiction would disagree.

You can only explore something that exists separate from you and what you know.

Personally, the writer in me thinks this is nonsense.

It is almost like trying to come up with a riddle to tell yourself.

I think you've just unintentionally come up with my favorite description of the process of writing fiction. Possibly my favorite description of making art, period.

You would have to be some kind of amnesiac for it to work.

Writers tend to drink.

It is assuredly not roleplaying. As I said earlier, I think this is our point of disagreement.

I think people like disagreeing with you about this, how, because in their games... well, certainly in mine, storytelling and role-playing go on simultaneously, even though you maintain it can't be done. Players are both the authors of, and performers of, their characters, more so one than the other depending on the situation at hand (and sometimes their characters are merely playing pieces on a game board. All these things go to make up role-playing in the context of an RPG).

 

[Aeolius]

Writers tend to drink.

"Everyone who drinks is not a poet. Some of us drink because we aren't poets." - Arthur

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Honestly, D&D stories tend to be about as deep as professional wrestling stories.

That doesn't make them bad, and it doesn't make them unimportant.

No... It makes them AWESOME.

 

[Scribble]

No... It makes them AWESOME.

Uggg.... now I have a mental image of a dwarf in speedos and shiny boots.

Do you smell what the Wulf's cookin?!?!?

 

[Primal]

Uggg.... now I have a mental image of a dwarf in speedos and shiny boots.

Do you smell what the Wulf's cookin?!?!?

You forgot to mention the sunglasses!

Seriously, what's wrong with wrestling storylines? Wrestling is a form of art and great entertainment, if you ask me.

And that's the bottom line, 'cuz Stone Cold Primal said so!

 

[Scribble]

You forgot to mention the sunglasses!

Seriously, what's wrong with wrestling storylines? Wrestling is a form of art and great entertainment, if you ask me.

And that's the bottom line, 'cuz Stone Cold Primal said so!

We actually "studied" it briefly in one of my classes in college. It basically takes the same format of storytelling as soap operas use, however instead of being mainly centered around romance, they're centered mostly around violence.

 

[Aeolius]

It basically takes the same format of storytelling as soap operas use, however instead of being mainly centered around romance, they're centered mostly around violence.

"When you are a man, sometimes you wear stretchy pants in your room. It's for fun. " - Nacho Libre

 

[Cadfan]

No... It makes them AWESOME.

My first 3e campaign, as a professional wrestling storyline.

The Young Bloods are the hot, newest thing on the wrestling circuit, under the highly respected star manager Howard Smith, known affectionately as Howie. Howie gets them their uniforms, pimps out their locker rooms, and arranges their fights. Things seem really great for the Young Bloods, but when the tourney for the All Star Championship belt begins, the opponents the Young Bloods face in the ring turn out to be far stronger and better equipped than expected. Fights they thought they could win turn out to be near losses, draws, or even complete routs. Things look bad for the Young Bloods, so Howie promises to set them up with an easy match. In anticipatory celebration of their upcoming easy victory, Howie treats them to a night on the town. But when they get to the ring, their opponent is actually the favored victor of the entire championship, Hughe Orc! And what's worse, he seems to know all their best moves, even the secret ones that they haven't yet used in the ring! Only by inventing an entirely new wrestling move are the Young Bloods able to leave the ring on their own feet, with the match as a draw. The Young Bloods regroup in their locker room, and realize what's happened- Howie has betrayed them! They investigate, and find that he's been betting against them, and setting up to lose! They keep their knowledge secret from Howie, and plan revenge...

 

[Primal]

We actually "studied" it briefly in one of my classes in college. It basically takes the same format of storytelling as soap operas use, however instead of being mainly centered around romance, they're centered mostly around violence.

"Basically, think of it as soap opera for males. And, it is better scripted and the acting is better, too, than in series X (insert any romantic soap opera here)" is how I defend this passion of mine to anyone who seems to be shocked at hearing me watching wrestling (curiously, a *lot* of such people have admitted that they watch romantic soap operas, and also said that I may be correct about the script and acting).

To me the "thing" in wrestling is how they make the storylines and matches work... i.e. how "realistic" they can make it to appear by "selling" moves, and how well do they improvise in a match (most of the veteran wrestlers only decide on the beginning and end of the match -- everything else is improvised "on the fly"). Triple H is an example of a wrestler who could have a great match with a stuffed bear, and "sell" it like the bear was actually beating him.