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<blockquote data-quote="Ridley's Cohort" data-source="post: 6408234" data-attributes="member: 545">And that is a big factor, right there.&nbsp; If the mortality rate is sufficiently high, then the downsides of rolled stats become less and the positives become greater.&nbsp; It is win-win.&nbsp; The greater the mortality, the more attractive rolling becomes to most everyone.And in a long campaign, it can easily be lose-lose.&nbsp; Not always.&nbsp; But it does happen.Let us recall that &quot;D&amp;D&quot; was originally game made by and for wargamers, where holding the field of battle with 50% of your units still &quot;alive&quot; was an Overwhelming Victory.&nbsp; All &quot;campaigns&quot; were 1-2 sessions.&nbsp; &quot;Alive&quot; really meant &quot;fit for more fighting&quot; -- because who cares if your &quot;knight unit&quot; is actually dead or has a broken collar bone and will return the fight again next spring, when everything is temporary.&nbsp; D&amp;D campaigns were born out of expectations of terrifying mortality rates, and, over time, mutated into stories that adhered to dramatic conventions.&nbsp; No, the individual campaign may not have changed, by the kinds of stories told in new groups shifted.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ridley's Cohort, post: 6408234, member: 545"] And that is a big factor, right there. If the mortality rate is sufficiently high, then the downsides of rolled stats become less and the positives become greater. It is win-win. The greater the mortality, the more attractive rolling becomes to most everyone. And in a long campaign, it can easily be lose-lose. Not always. But it does happen. Let us recall that "D&D" was originally game made by and for wargamers, where holding the field of battle with 50% of your units still "alive" was an Overwhelming Victory. All "campaigns" were 1-2 sessions. "Alive" really meant "fit for more fighting" -- because who cares if your "knight unit" is actually dead or has a broken collar bone and will return the fight again next spring, when everything is temporary. D&D campaigns were born out of expectations of terrifying mortality rates, and, over time, mutated into stories that adhered to dramatic conventions. No, the individual campaign may not have changed, by the kinds of stories told in new groups shifted. [/QUOTE]

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