D&D General Playstyle vs Mechanics

[soviet]

then the background has nothing to do with it though, does it?

See, skill issue. The background leads to the criminal, the criminal leads to the magical communication method

 

[mamba]

Depends on the plane, of course, but weren't we talking about more conventional travel and more conventional cities? The feature says what it says, and I wouldn't just blithely negate it

other side of the same continent, doesn't really change much of anything. No one knows your contact and you know no one who clearly can get a message to them, so yeah, I am perfectly fine with blithely negating it, in fact I will do so in session 0 already

 

[mamba]

See, skill issue. The background leads to the criminal, the criminal leads to the magical communication method

reading comprehension issue, I thought you were talking about the character

That assumes your contact is more than some local gang leader though

 

[mamba]

a RP aid that facilitates interaction with the environment and not some player power grab that must be limited/squashed at all costs.

that goes both ways, for it to not be a player power grab, it is perfectly fine to sometimes strike out

 

[Micah Sweet]

Right… but don’t you think that’s what any group would try and do? Like, the move is a game thing, but in the fiction of the game world, you’d describe what it meant. I think the group can work together to make sense of any use of the ability.



I think perhaps you missed the point I was making, Max. Others were describing what I was advocating for as “nonsensical” and “groan-inducing” and the like, and then stating that because that’s how they feel, they should be able to express it.

So then I did the same.



I mean… that’s literally what it is.

Player: “This happens.”

DM: “Actually, no… that happens.”

How is that not exercising control?

I'm not a fan of mechanics before fiction, which is what that sounds like to me.

 

[mamba]

But aside from that… why is it a problem? Why is it problematic to give players moves they can make that simply work?

because D&D does not have plenty of such moves that no one has issues with… The problem begins when it interferes with world building / the setting

 

[tetrasodium]

No matter how much you try, there is no one true way of 5e gameplay. It's an absolute fact that you are wrong, since I've played 5e several different ways.

You place too much weight on predictability. So what if I can predictably say that we will trigger pretty much every trap we come across because we are relying on darkvision. That doesn't make triggering all those traps a good thing. So what if I can guarantee us to be ambushed and surprised a ton because we can't see the enemies coming. That doesn't make it a good thing.

Light is also just as predictable as darkness. Groups I've DM'd for and played in have been using continual light coins since 1e. Now the darkness spell can overcome that, but it also overcomes darkvision. Torches were almost never a limiter in any way. You bought them by the dozens and they were obsolete to the continual light in a few levels.

Those same rules have been present since the 1970s.

There are no inherent problems in the 5e rule set to sandbox games. None. Safety and durability are irrelevant to being in a sandbox. As long as the DM can create a world for the players to explore and the players can pick and choose where they go, it's a perfect Sandbox. What rules prevent me from doing that in 5e? Not one.

Whether you think PCs are too durable and safe is a completely separate metric that has nothing to do with most playstyles.

Your post is in conflict with itself.

 

[Maxperson]

Your post is in conflict with itself.

No it isn't. What is it that you think is in conflict?

 

[Oofta]

To be fair, while you're not wrong, for fifty years it has been about control. That's what the separation of roles is: who has control over what.

But it's not about the DM protecting their precious world or anything like that. It's just a separation of roles, who is responsible for what .I'm not going to tell a player what their character is thinking or feeling. Does anyone ever complain about the player protecting their precious PC? The DM is not worried about their precious world. They're just running the game as it's been designed.

If you sign up to play D&D don't complain when it's not a narrative game or some on PbtA derivative.

 

[Oofta]

Yes, it’s a very common desire for DMs. As preferences go, it’s fine.

My use of hyperbole in the reason for the preference was because so many people seem unable to articulate the reason for their preference.
...

I've repeated my reasons for my preferences many, many times. As have other's. The preferences apply no matter which side of the DM screen I sit.