An apology for RPG combat (and why I love it)

[Sadrik]

I want to second all of the thoughts on this so far. Combat is only one of many aspects, it can be fun, its better when they really matter, and the devil *is* in the details. Is a five your combat fun? Is a five minute combat fun? There is some grey area to play with there. Every group has their sweet spot every group has their own sweet spot.

 

[triqui]

RPG combat is not only good, it's fantastic. It gives great flavor, a spicy touch, leaves you wanting more, and gets you excited.

Just like Tabasco.

However, Although I like to put Tabasco on my soup, I would not eat a soup that's made *only* with tabasco.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Hey, I loves me some roleplay...but I enjoy a good dust-up as much as anyone else.

As a result, my stable PCs cover a spectrum: I have some that are balanced (most of them, really), some that are almost pure RP types and near useless in combat, and others that are combat maniacs that you simply don't let near the nice NPCs.

RPG combat is not only good, it's fantastic. It gives great flavor, a spicy touch, leaves you wanting more, and gets you excited.

Just like Tabasco.

However, Although I like to put Tabasco on my soup, I would not eat a soup that's made *only* with tabasco.

Tabasco Soup would be a wargame. And a good name for a thoroughbred racehorse.

 

[pemerton]

I enjoy combat in fantasy RPGs, as a powerful vehicle for expressing and resolving conflict.

In a game like D&D (or Rolemaster, or Ruenquest, or . . .) with fairly complex mechanics, there is a potential problem, that in the course of resolving the combat the conflict - which is an element of a shared fiction - will get lost, and the mechanical aspects of the combat will take over. At which point I think one is transitioning from RPGing to (mere) skirmish gaming.

So I think that for combat to be fun, and to work, as part of an RPG, the fiction has to matter. Resolving the combat has to reinforce the participants' engagement with the fiction, rather than inhibit or distract from it.

Different approaches to scenario design, and different sorts of action resolution mechanics, can do a better or worse job at this.

(This post is inspired by my recent rereading of Vincent Baker's blog on "clouds and boxes", which came up on the "dissociated mechanics" thread.)

 

[Bedrockgames]

There is nothing wrong with rpg combat or with combat heavy campaigns. But we all have our preferences. Combat heavy doesnt mean a game is bad, but it probably means its not a good choice for me as i get bored with combat if it goes more than two rounds and i really like to focus on other things like character interaction, investigation, intrigue, etc. But if you enjoy combat that is great, and there are lots of gamers out there who like that as a focus.

One thing I would like to see less of is the notion that anyone who plays differently than you, prefers a different style or has a different opinion of x rule, x mechanic or x approach to designs is insane, misguided, or objectively wrong.

 

[Hussar]

Hear hear for the Hack!