D&D General Could Improv (and maybe Theatre) save your Roleplaying???

[Vaalingrade]

Obviously, the "is everyone having fun" rule comes first. This may come as a shock, but some people are bored by dice-rolling too.

Nothing's stopping those people from improving though. But shaming and marginalizing those who can't keeps those people from having fun.

 

[Ovinomancer]

I beg to differ. Some of my best games were totally and completely improvised. D&D can support it. The more the DM knows his books be it MM, PHB and DMG the more he can improvise without going overboard. The trick is to find a real balance between the randomness of improvisation and the mitigation of weird results you might get from the tables.

No, D&D didn't support it, you just did it anyway. Being able to ignore rules, or playing with rules that just don't exist in the area you're playing in is not the same thing as the system supporting the play. Honestly, if you've never played a system that actually does support improv, it's very hard to grasp the difference. It was for me, and 8-9 years ago I'd have been fervently saying the same things you are here.

 

[Helldritch]

No, D&D didn't support it, you just did it anyway. Being able to ignore rules, or playing with rules that just don't exist in the area you're playing in is not the same thing as the system supporting the play. Honestly, if you've never played a system that actually does support improv, it's very hard to grasp the difference. It was for me, and 8-9 years ago I'd have been fervently saying the same things you are here.

Check the random dungeon rules on page 290. Add in the random encounter tables you can find in the XGtE (or that you make) and the random treasure tables in the DMG and you get a random dungeon and adventure all you want! To make good encounters take the party's average level -4 and roll 1d10. It will be from ECL 1-6. Choose your table and voilà! You have your random dungeon entirely supported by the rules save for the Party Average level -4 +1d10 = ECL. For dungeon roll mainly on the underdark encounter table and occasionally roll on other tables to make truly memorable encounters. What were these Blood Hawks doing this deep down in the dungeon? Or what were these Quaggoths doing in this forest? And you know what? Players will find answers for you!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Nothing's stopping those people from improving though. But shaming and marginalizing those who can't keeps those people from having fun.

You are the only one talking about shaming and marginalizing. By the way you go on, you would think the OP had suggested "anyone who doesn't improv should be branded with a scarlet letter". Get over it, you might have had experience of a vindictive DM, horrible people exist. Avoid them.

 

[Ovinomancer]

Check the random dungeon rules on page 290. Add in the random encounter tables you can find in the XGtE (or that you make) and the random treasure tables in the DMG and you get a random dungeon and adventure all you want! To make good encounters take the party's average level -4 and roll 1d10. It will be from ECL 1-6. Choose your table and voilà! You have your random dungeon entirely supported by the rules save for the Party Average level -4 +1d10 = ECL. For dungeon roll mainly on the underdark encounter table and occasionally roll on other tables to make truly memorable encounters. What were these Blood Hawks doing this deep down in the dungeon? Or what were these Quaggoths doing in this forest? And you know what? Players will find answers for you!

That's not improv. It's ad hoc and random generation. Not quite procedural. Improv is where you are following along with the other players and adding to them.

 

[Helldritch]

That's not improv. It's ad hoc and random generation. Not quite procedural. Improv is where you are following along with the other players and adding to them.

Both yes and no. It is going with the results that brings improvisation to the front. Will they fight, will they parley? How it will go down from one encounter to the next isn't that far from pure improvisations. There are degrees in improvisation. In fact we have a game in Québec (well, it is practice in almost all French countries now) that is called: "Improvisation". I know, very imaginative... The point is that there are two teams. Each other are given a theme and they must build a story about that theme.

Improvisations can be mixt or compared. An improvisation might be solo, unlimited, limited, a balance of opposing players or it might be unbalanced. At the end of the improvisation, a vote is called for from the audience to see which team will get the point.

The game itself is loosely base on hockey rules where there are two teams, three referee, is played iver three period of 20 minutesnd. There are penalties for not playing with the improvisation that your opponent has initiated, a heavy penalty is also given for just trying to make people laugh and not playing into the improvisation itself.
Categories range from singing, poetry, silent, normal and in the style of an author or movie. Special points are given at the end of the third period for best player, best line and best sportsmanship. There is even different time for an improvisation ranging from 30 seconds upto 10 minutes.

The referee calls the improvisation in the middle of the stage. It might go like this. Mixte improvisation with the title: "Love at first sight". Time 2 minutes. Maximum of one player per team. Both twam now have 20 seconds to debate who should go and maybe a direction to take the improvisation. A team is made of four players and one captain.

I can even translate the game rules if needed, as I used to be a referee at this game.

So all this to say that improvisation is possible at various degrees. One form is no less interesting than the other and has as much merits as any other.

 

[Musing Mage]

Yes.

Straight up, the skills you learn through improvisation courses will immensely improve your game, both as player and especially DM.

Now, what you don't necessarily want is to turn your D&D game as a full-on improv session. (Or maybe you do... who am I to say?)... but having that adaptibility to run with changes in the moment, definitely a good way to run. Keep expanding that DMs toolkit.

 

[Vaalingrade]

You are the only one talking about shaming and marginalizing.

It's been happening all over as part of this 'old school is really upset with videogames as code for modern gaming again' series if threads.

"They're just button pressing"

"I miss when players used to think"

They're the ones saying these things, not me.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It's been happening all over as part of this 'old school is really upset with videogames as code for modern gaming again' series if threads.

"They're just button pressing"

"I miss when players used to think"

They're the ones saying these things, not me.

Who are these mythical "they"? I mean, "thinking"? Really?! I'm pretty sure no one disputes thinking is required no matter what your preferred playstyle!

Shoulder, say hello to Chip.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Who are these mythical "they"? I mean, "thinking"? Really?! I'm pretty sure no one disputes thinking is required no matter what your preferred playstyle!

Shoulder, say hello to Chip.

Wait, what's that? I have receipts?

D&D General - How has D&D changed over the decades?

Another thing that changed is the expected availablity of magicand magic items in the civilized worlds due to the influence of video gamges. Final Fantasy 1, a very old game, has a potion shop, white magic shop, and black magic shop in the starter town. Almost every fantasy game does this. This...

www.enworld.org

I miss players having to think to solve problems. I miss that leading to gamers having wild problem solving skills. Now players will press the buttons on their character sheet until it works or give up.

Beam, be removed from eye. Or whatever lame and desperate insult applies to the chip shoulder thing.