D&D General Can we talk about best practices?

[overgeeked]

Hostility? I'm don't recall any hostility towards the idea. I've seen plenty of warnings along the lines of the text you bolded. As long as that's kept in mind (and advice for a particular playstyle isn't presented as general advice) I see no issue.

Look at the first few pages. Some of the early posts, including by the owner and staff of the site, claim that even the suggestion that there are such things as “best practices” for RPGs is inherently “badwrongfun” and “onetruewayism”. I can’t think of anything more hostile than that except closing the thread to prevent people even talking about the topic.

 

[Fanaelialae]

Look at the first few pages. Some of the early posts, including by the owner and staff of the site, claim that even the suggestion that there are such things as “best practices” for RPGs is inherently “badwrongfun” and “onetruewayism”. I can’t think of anything more hostile than that except closing the thread to prevent people even talking about the topic.

I didn't take it that way, but fair enough. I could see how someone else might. I just read it as a less formalized critique along the lines of my statement to first start with playstyle and then create best practices for those playstyles. But maybe I was just reading into those based on my own perspective.

 

[Dausuul]

I'm extremely surprised at the number of posts in this thread claiming any attempt at a best-practice guide is not only futile but unwarranted.

I think new DMs could really use guidelines as to avoid the myriad of missteps mistakes and headaches that those before have made and learned from.

is it that many people don't like the term best as too universal?

"Best practices" doesn't mean guidelines, it means a set of prescribed procedures that are recognized as best. It is, literally and by definition, onetruewayism.

And in many contexts, that is highly appropriate. We have building codes so buildings don't fall down. We tell doctors to wash their hands so they don't expose patients to pathogens. Best practices are very important in scenarios where mistakes can have catastrophic consequences.

Pretending to be an elf is... not one of those scenarios.

 

[billd91]

"Best practices" doesn't mean guidelines, it means a set of prescribed procedures that are recognized as best. It is, literally and by definition, onetruewayism.

And in many contexts, that is highly appropriate. We have building codes so buildings don't fall down. We tell doctors to wash their hands so they don't expose patients to pathogens. Best practices are very important in scenarios where mistakes can have catastrophic consequences.

Pretending to be an elf is... not one of those scenarios.

This is even a criticism of the idea of "best" practices in other settings as well since many of them tend to be contextual and poorly analyzed as measurably "best".
But let's be clear that in the case of RPGs the application of the idea of best practices is about finding the best practices... for having fun. And you're really not going to get a hell of a lot more subjective than that.

 

[Fanaelialae]

"Best practices" doesn't mean guidelines, it means a set of prescribed procedures that are recognized as best. It is, literally and by definition, onetruewayism.

And in many contexts, that is highly appropriate. We have building codes so buildings don't fall down. We tell doctors to wash their hands so they don't expose patients to pathogens. Best practices are very important in scenarios where mistakes can have catastrophic consequences.

Pretending to be an elf is... not one of those scenarios.

Okay, so it's opposition to the use of the terminology rather than the idea of having advice for specific play styles.

So if we call them play style guidelines instead, I assume no one will object?

 

[Dausuul]

Okay, so it's opposition to the use of the terminology rather than the idea of having advice for specific play styles.

So if we call them play style guidelines instead, I assume no one will object?

Well, I won't. Can't speak for anyone else.

 

[Mort]

"Best practices" doesn't mean guidelines, it means a set of prescribed procedures that are recognized as best. It is, literally and by definition, onetruewayism.

And in many contexts, that is highly appropriate. We have building codes so buildings don't fall down. We tell doctors to wash their hands so they don't expose patients to pathogens. Best practices are very important in scenarios where mistakes can have catastrophic consequences.

Pretending to be an elf is... not one of those scenarios.

It's a term of art - and not only that it's a apparently a bit of a controversial one. So best approach (sorry) seems to be to simply not call it that but instead call it something like "suggested approaches to maximizing play experience.." - or something even less formal "suggestions on how to not make the same mistakes I did..."

That work better?

 

[hawkeyefan]

I mean, maybe you guys are being a bit too literal with the term "best practices"? Obviously it's a subjective thing. The vast majority of discussions here are subjective.

I mean....I'm having a hard time imagining everyone here just grinding to a halt if someone asked them "What advice would you offer to a new player? Or a new GM?"

Wouldn't the advice you offered be the things we'd all consider best practices?

Or would you answer "I can't offer you any advice at all because I don't know what style of game you prefer or what your group will like and all approaches are equally valid"?

 

[Mort]

This is even a criticism of the idea of "best" practices in other settings as well since many of them tend to be contextual and poorly analyzed as measurably "best".
But let's be clear that in the case of RPGs the application of the idea of best practices is about finding the best practices... for having fun. And you're really not going to get a hell of a lot more subjective than that.

While that's certainly true (fun is extremely subjective) there are still things that tend to be much more subjective that others.

For example, Player vs. Player (PvP) is one of the tripwires of roleplaying. It's subjectively fun at the best of times and can be absolutely disastrous if not approached correctly. A good analysis of the do's and don'ts of PvP can be an invaluable aid to someone who hasn't DMd before.

 

[overgeeked]

While that's certainly true (fun is extremely subjective) there are still things that tend to be much more subjective that others.

For example, Player vs. Player (PvP) is one of the tripwires of roleplaying. It's subjectively fun at the best of times and can be absolutely disastrous if not approached correctly. A good analysis of the do's and don'ts of PvP can be an invaluable aid to someone who hasn't DMd before.

And similar can be applied to most types and styles of play and running games. If you’re trying to do a politically complex game, try these things while trying to avoid these other things. Or hexcrawling or dungeoncrawling or action-adventure or horror or immersion or whatever. But apparently even acknowledging that fact is somehow bad form.