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The big question (which is part of the incoherence of the GNS definition of Simulationism; there are multiple things Ron Edwards is talking about there) is what are we simulating? Absolutely agreed; we need to look at the output more than the individual inputs. I'm only not commenting on your...

In what game do they do this? In the main game with encounter based powers I can think of (D&D 4e) the powers did not recharge on "roll initiative" or moving into a new scene. They explicitly and unequivocally recharged on having a short (five minute-ish) rest. It was just assumed that other...

And I have said quite categorically upthread that for anything involving physical exertion and thinking in the head of your character that encounter based "you do this to the end of the fight when you can relax" makes more sense than "You keep doing this for the next five minutes no matter what...

And there is nothing that a person can observe in the real world directly that tells me how the smartphone I'm tapping away on works. It might as well be magic as chips and electronics. Likewise I can tell inputs and outputs - and IRL we can tell when a fight starts or ends even without a full...

Yes it could. There is no game-world law for just about anything even in most "simulationist" RPGs unless you're playing something as artificial as Order of the Stick. Even if we take something as basic as "strength determines how much you lift" there's also skill in weightlifting involved and...

It starts when you roll initiative and ends when you drop out of initiative. Now as for what "initiative order" is unless you're running an OOTS style "this simulates what it simulates" is another story. But it is there in the rulebook.

I really can't agree here other than that an encounter is a technical grouping of events and is as much a term of art as "Armour class" or "damage dice". Your average encounter is a fight. And that does map to a real world construct. "I will hold on to this spell for a few minutes until the...

And this is where I have a serious problem with the people who talk about versimilitude in the context of D&D. Most of us are not likely to face down a dragon. Most of us are likely to take a punch at some point in our lives and many of us will break bones. Most of us know what it feels like to...

If it's something I commonly saw in GURPS in the 90s (the Lucky advantage) I have problems considering it "modern"

I think that was basically the consensus of the Daggerheart subreddit - there was nothing new there and the lead times were too long - and if you want more than one pack just get a new core set (and our crafty player makes her own cards). It's a Kickstarter that's selling nothing new for the table.

It's basically just a procedural set of Experiences (which are free form) short - it's just that no one has bothered to write official rules for it. And the cards are the best thing since the printer for group character creation - getting half a dozen players together round the table to create...

3) That every great GM is great in the same way 4) That everyone takes notes the same way The notes provided look either superb or terrible as game prep depending on how much space there is for player agency. But they seem like a nightmare to prepare from for a third party due to the sheer...

I've genuinely suggested full random for a one shot (one random ancestry, one random culture, one random subclass, and two random abilities and see what happens).

Charm lets the victim know. Knock has side effects like a loud noise and smart foes use two or more locks on anything important. Pass Without Trace I'll grant. And athletics? Vs fly, 2024 jump, spider climb, or enlarge person? Unlike PWoT a good athletics roll won't remotely do what one of...

S Tier - used all the time by everyone 1. Perception 2. Investigation (moved up in 2024) A Tier - used by everyone but not all the time 3. Stealth 4. Insight B Tier - The party should be able to do but individuals may safely ignore 5. Arcana (DM dependent; some allow more here than others) 6...

AD&D NPCs didn't even follow PC level limits. Most did look a bit like PCs but nowhere was this necessary. And the reason MHRP works symmetrically is MHRP doesn't have orthodox chargen; you just write down how your character works and it fits on an index card. Even GURPS 3e said to just write...

You're supposed to drive like a stolen car with the cops after you. The risk is part of the fun, and you're risking in multiple directions but if you don't drive the cops are going to grab you. So go fast, cut the corners tight, and risk wrapping your car round a tree. Can you make it thorugh...

Now to me this is a good illustration of why neither extreme is good. The "pure prepper" would have prepared these tests entirely in advance and they would have no resonance with the specific PCs, just being some generic tests to move numbers on an abstract line The "pure improviser" would as...

I would point out here that both Scotland Yard and Fury of Dracula are boardgames. And part of the game is that the Hunters and Mr X alike are restricted to a hard coded number of predetermined moves that are especially selected to be balanced. Meanwhile one of the key drivers of RPGs is that...

Here I disagree. I think that as with many things in Daggerheart there are multiple reasons they aren't always on. From a simple balance perspective experiences are not equally applicable because they are freeform; peerless polymath is going to be more applicable more often than underwater...