LordEntrails
Hero
So, if I can't role play a stupid character, can I play a smart one?
How’s it go? Play stupid characters, win stupid prizes?So, if I can't role play a stupid character, can I play a smart one?
I agree!Fair enough.
That's certainly a valid way to play. I can and do enjoy games which function that way. I'd even go so far as to say that style is at the heart of how D&D is designed.
Different style than skilled play, you mean? Eh, I think D&D is flexible enough to work for other styles of play. And while some other games may be better for more specific styles, there’s a tradeoff there in terms of familiarity and reach, so I don’t like to judge people for choosing to play D&D over a more bespoke system.Personally, when I want something with a different style, my first choice would likely be a different rpg.
I’m not quite sure what you mean by “elements which have little tangible meaning.”Elsewhere I had mentioned what I see as a clash between the game people say they want and the actual game they want. That clash is, I think, present in D&D. Simultaneously, there seems to be a push for game elements which have little tangible meaning and a push to recognize real-world meaning within game elements.
Yeah, I think we’re largely in agreement, despite arriving there from opposite directions.I am a bit opposite but get to the same place.
I see them as so broad and multidimensional that, like alignment, you can justifiably take multiple contradictory approaches to roleplaying them, and that focusing on the direct mechanical game impacts is my preferred way to do so while letting players define themselves as they see fit.
"Intelligence measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason.
INTELLIGENCE CHECKS
An Intelligence check comes into play when you need to draw on logic, education, memory, or deductive reasoning. The Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, and Religion skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Intelligence checks."
So narratively a high int is completely consistent with a poor ability to reason if the accuracy of recall is great.
So a high int wizard is really good at the technical aspects of wizard spell casting and a good base for knowledge skill checks even before proficiency, but I will require the player to make any non-abstracted logical deductions, or fail to do so, on their own.
- abstract game stats that represent no more and no less than the character’s aptitude at the specific tasks they contribute to
You can do whatever you want. Some people might not want to play with you if they feel the way you roleplay your characters is distasteful.So, if I can't role play a stupid character, can I play a smart one?
Not one person here - not one, has defended portraying someone who is "stupid" for comedic reasons. That is a made-up argument.Seems to me that people are using a poorly written OP, an absence of a good definition of "stupid", an OP who won't engage, and various other distractions to avoid having to admit that there's absolutely nothing positive to be said about imitating people with disabilities as a means of comic.
Not really. That's the basic message of the OP. It's not a made-up argument, it's the core of the discussion. All this other pontificating is just so much hot air.Not one person here - not one, has defended portraying someone who is "stupid" for comedic reasons. That is a made-up argument.
I agree!
Different style than skilled play, you mean? Eh, I think D&D is flexible enough to work for other styles of play. And while some other games may be better for more specific styles, there’s a tradeoff there in terms of familiarity and reach, so I don’t like to judge people for choosing to play D&D over a more bespoke system.
I’m not quite sure what you mean by “elements which have little tangible meaning.”