NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 3965808" data-attributes="member: 42582">I don't know True20 all that well, but in the case of RQ verisimilitude is largely the result of its extensive action-resolution rules for both combat and non-combat situations. Whereas earlier editions of D&D, when it was less action-moviesque in tone, had detailed action-resolution rules only for combat, and even there GM moderation played a much greater role than in RQ. As a result those earlier editions depended a great deal on the GM to establish the feel and parameters of the game. 3E (and it seems 4e) have tried to shift some of that power from GMs back to players - hence the increasing gamism, I think.The issue that you don't quite address is this: where is "the joy of the game" if the player of the Rogue is sitting at the table for an hour (a plausible real-world duration for a D&D fight) having nothing interesting to do other than kibbitz, as his/her friends get to take a meaningful turn every round? That is the joy of watching one's friends play the game - which is not quite the same, and normally not quite as joyful.OD&D and 1st ed dealt with this issue by giving every player multiple characters to control, via extensive rules for henchmen and hirelings, as well as having multiple PCs per player be fairly common. More recent editions and play styles have really emphasised one PC per player, and have removed henchmen and hirelings as a significant part of gameplay.As for the Rogue tricking the golem - in the current edition of 3E this reverses the problem, with the other PCs typically having nothing meaningful to contribute, and therefore the other players having no meaningful participation in the game while the player of the Rogue resolves the trickery. It is to be hoped that 4e's changes to skills, and introduction of mechanics for social challenges, will deal with this to a decent extent, making a tricking of the golem a game experience in which all the players can participate.</blockquote>

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