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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JamesonCourage" data-source="post: 6086106" data-attributes="member: 6668292">Here's hoping you're right. If that's what they're going for, awesome. And it could well be what they're going for. Maybe we'll get another update clarifying this in another post from Mr. Mearls. As always, play what you like <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Well, it's more of "focus on Combat, Magic, and Movement" than "focus on Combat."And you're right, not everyone wants skills. But I've played D&D games without magic, too. And, yeah, to me, it was still D&D. I've cut combat down to once every 10 or so hours of real time, and I don't use old school 10 minute turns or the like for movement (though I do use base speed, encumbrance, and some other stuff).My point, basically, is, if things like skills can be considered optional, why can't combat? No trap-only dungeons? No court-only intrigue? No coin flip and move on? What about movement? Not everyone even tracks time. You can't have a DM just say "it takes you three days to get there" or "if you wanted to cross the room and run around the pond, it'll take your full turn"? You can't have No Magic campaigns?If all of those are opt-out to one degree or another, why aren't skills? And if they are, why aren't they listed alongside of "Combat, Magic, and Movement"? That's what I'm getting at. I'm not sure why these three are separated from the rest when people can still certainly remove them from their game (like I did in my No Magic campaign). As always, play what you like <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Well, I don't think that "no effort is going into making the game possibly be able to do it" in the other areas. But I do get the sinking feeling that they just showed their priorities in "Combat, Magic, and Movement." And, like I said, they didn't come out and say nothing else will be the default setting, either; for all I know, a basic skill system could be the default setting, and there's a dial to go down rather than up. Essentially, these things could be opt-out rather than opt-in; that'd make me feel better. Mind you, I'm okay with opt-out rules, but I sincerely hope that they present the default game as more than just "Combat, Magic, and Movement", for new players, if nothing else. As always, play what you like <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />By the definition I'd use for "rules for exploration", this is true on some stuff, and not on others. I'll go into that below.Ability checks are rules that you're using (even if you're winging it). And you could run the game with "well, you were standing about two feet away from the edge when the pit trap opened... you fall in and hurt your leg, and are stuck at the bottom." I mean, it's possible. But by that token, couldn't you run combat that way, based on their description? I consider things like traps an area that need rules; maybe not to find, but almost certainly once they go off, or attempt to damage a creature.This is the pillar that I understand is most commonly free form out of the three (not that it's necessarily more common than having rules, but more common than free form combat or exploration). I can see this to a certain extent, but I imagine most groups use something when they use this pillar; if not skills, then reaction rolls or Charisma checks. Why not have a basic system you can opt-out of? Wouldn't that be easy? How is this different from Movement rules?Unless you don't feature combat in your game, I basically agree with you (and that would be a very rare sight indeed).Basically, I think that wherever they set their default settings at, it's saying "this is what we think is part of the basic game experience" to new players. That's why I'm hoping stuff like basic skills as a default setting, but I definitely support a clear, easy opt-out dial. But I want the default game to say "beyond Combat, Magic, and Movement, we value all these things as well, during gameplay." Do people get more where I'm coming from? As always, play what you like <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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