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5th ed D&D general impressions from a new player and DM.
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<blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 8199588" data-attributes="member: 71699"><p>Well, the first thing is to think about symbolism and imagination, and behaviour. What we want most, as DMs, is for players to feel something and to do something in response. Say I simply tell a player that they can make a Dexterity (Thieves' tools) check and if they fail, they will take 8d6 of fire damage. That alone can be enough to shape their behaviour. And this is what RPG is <em>about</em>. It's not about neatly parceling up ability checks with immediate consequences, or lavish narration. It is about a player thinking "<em>Golly, I have 18 HP... if that thing goes off I am toast!</em>" and changing what they want to do. The things you describe are representations that stand for more. I can tell my players - "<em>It'll take an athletics check to climb that wall</em>" - and that really can be enough for them. It's an imaginary wall. Imaginary walls have no qualities. What they need to know is that a fall from near the top is 12d6 of bludgeoning damage. The word "<em>wall</em>" is not a wall, and most certainly the words "<em>sheer wall</em>" are not a sheer wall. We are working with symbols, and imagination, and we aim to make players feel something and respond.</p><p></p><p>The second thing is think about game as game. Players are psychologically capable of experiencing tension just from the mechanics. Roll a die and get 8+, or take 8d6 fire damage. That stands for something that can just of itself - as play - be tense. Just of itself, it can inform behaviour. Game dynamics can have in themselves a great deal of psychological effect. Perhaps you know the "thought-worm" mechanic that some horrors can use in Earthdawn? It is a beautiful mechanic that just through the way it operates, can lead players down a troubled path. Often the game mechanic is capable of doing the work: that's generally what they are there for! A very interesting question is - what psychological impact do differing probabilities of success have? What is the difference between making one roll - live or die - or a dozen interdependent rolls? How does overwhelming damage feel relative to incremental damage. To think of game mechanics as shorn of meaning unless slathered with verbiage is to terribly misapprehend game qua game.</p><p></p><p>And this is aside from some of the very misleading - or let us say, <em>idiosyncratic</em> - applications of the 5e mechanics in the PDF.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="clearstream, post: 8199588, member: 71699"] Well, the first thing is to think about symbolism and imagination, and behaviour. What we want most, as DMs, is for players to feel something and to do something in response. Say I simply tell a player that they can make a Dexterity (Thieves' tools) check and if they fail, they will take 8d6 of fire damage. That alone can be enough to shape their behaviour. And this is what RPG is [I]about[/I]. It's not about neatly parceling up ability checks with immediate consequences, or lavish narration. It is about a player thinking "[I]Golly, I have 18 HP... if that thing goes off I am toast![/I]" and changing what they want to do. The things you describe are representations that stand for more. I can tell my players - "[I]It'll take an athletics check to climb that wall[/I]" - and that really can be enough for them. It's an imaginary wall. Imaginary walls have no qualities. What they need to know is that a fall from near the top is 12d6 of bludgeoning damage. The word "[I]wall[/I]" is not a wall, and most certainly the words "[I]sheer wall[/I]" are not a sheer wall. We are working with symbols, and imagination, and we aim to make players feel something and respond. The second thing is think about game as game. Players are psychologically capable of experiencing tension just from the mechanics. Roll a die and get 8+, or take 8d6 fire damage. That stands for something that can just of itself - as play - be tense. Just of itself, it can inform behaviour. Game dynamics can have in themselves a great deal of psychological effect. Perhaps you know the "thought-worm" mechanic that some horrors can use in Earthdawn? It is a beautiful mechanic that just through the way it operates, can lead players down a troubled path. Often the game mechanic is capable of doing the work: that's generally what they are there for! A very interesting question is - what psychological impact do differing probabilities of success have? What is the difference between making one roll - live or die - or a dozen interdependent rolls? How does overwhelming damage feel relative to incremental damage. To think of game mechanics as shorn of meaning unless slathered with verbiage is to terribly misapprehend game qua game. And this is aside from some of the very misleading - or let us say, [I]idiosyncratic[/I] - applications of the 5e mechanics in the PDF. [/QUOTE]
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