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Message: <blockquote data-quote="haakon1" data-source="post: 4247838" data-attributes="member: 25619">Right.  In general, I think we've got two different ideas that folks are conflating:1) Older editions of D&D were a realistic model of reality.  No one is saying that, but it's getting beaten on as a strawman.2) Older editions of D&D were attempting to simulate a reality outside their own rules, not in a scientifically accurate way, but in an intuitive way.  Rules were developed by a polymath (Gygax) with an eye on many things: playability, yes, but also his extensive reading of fantasy literature and mythology, and his extensive historical knowledge, especially military history.  The rules often tied back to the real world.  Examples:-- Limit on falling damage due to terminal velocity.  (Not sure what edition this started it, but I know it was in 3e.)-- Int explained as score x10 = IQ in AD&D-- Ratio of 20 sp to 1 gp in AD&D, changed for playability to 10 sp to 1 gp in 3e.  Why 20-1 ratio of silver-gold?  Because Gygax knew something of historical economics/numistmatism.  I'm sure he was thinking about the $1 silver dollar coin and the $20 gold eagle coin of the cowboy age, plus he grew up when the gold standard was still around, and he was familiar with the 20-1 ratio of shillings to pounds.  So this was an example of history and "feel" of olden times/England triumphing over decimalized playability.-- High prices for arms and armor.  People often say this is one way AD&D was broken, because the economics didn't make any sense.  In the AD&D PHB, Gygax explained that his arms and armor and adventuring gear prices were meant to be super high, to reflect frontier gold rush pricing.  IIRC, he mentioned eggs going for $1 each in the Yukon gold rush.I contrast that with 4e, which I think makes rules not thinking about the Yukon gold rush, but strictly about playability.  Perhaps that leads to better or more balanced rules, but it does change the feel significantly.</blockquote>

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