Like some designers' comments hinted to it, D&D is still a confused gamist/simulationist RPG.
In opposition to 3.x, where some of the mechanical parts were confusing on the entailed playstyle, in 4E the confusion comes from the fact that the mechanics is yelling G and the fluff text of both PHB and DMG is yelling S (not everywhere I know).
IMHO, D&D should facilitates a high-exploration gamist play at the challenge level and a vanilla narrativist play at the adventure/campaign level.
The good news is that this is IHMO possible without changing much mechanical rules (maybe the reward system a bit), but only by replacing a lot of the "how D&D should be played" text.
The (very, IMHO) bad news is that simulationism will still be taught by those books as the "official" playstyle to new players.
A first example of what to change :
Original (PHP p.8) : When you play your D&D character, you put yourself into your character’s shoes and make decisions as if you were that character.
i.e. Actor stance is the default.
Changes : Author stance is the default, warn new players agains't pawn stance ->
When you play D&D like in every game, you, as a player, have to make decisions, for example, choosing the best tactics to win a combat. However, because D&D is a role-playing game, you have to share (most of the time) with the other players (DM included) a justification you can imagine that your character had to take this decision. That is different from board games, where you may have to make sure that the others players don't know why you moved your pieces in a certain position.
In opposition to 3.x, where some of the mechanical parts were confusing on the entailed playstyle, in 4E the confusion comes from the fact that the mechanics is yelling G and the fluff text of both PHB and DMG is yelling S (not everywhere I know).
IMHO, D&D should facilitates a high-exploration gamist play at the challenge level and a vanilla narrativist play at the adventure/campaign level.
The good news is that this is IHMO possible without changing much mechanical rules (maybe the reward system a bit), but only by replacing a lot of the "how D&D should be played" text.
The (very, IMHO) bad news is that simulationism will still be taught by those books as the "official" playstyle to new players.
A first example of what to change :
Original (PHP p.8) : When you play your D&D character, you put yourself into your character’s shoes and make decisions as if you were that character.
i.e. Actor stance is the default.
Changes : Author stance is the default, warn new players agains't pawn stance ->
When you play D&D like in every game, you, as a player, have to make decisions, for example, choosing the best tactics to win a combat. However, because D&D is a role-playing game, you have to share (most of the time) with the other players (DM included) a justification you can imagine that your character had to take this decision. That is different from board games, where you may have to make sure that the others players don't know why you moved your pieces in a certain position.
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