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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ourph" data-source="post: 2064296" data-attributes="member: 20239">Much of the atmosphere of D&D may have been inspired by Howard, Vance, Leiber, etc. but the actual play of the game was not intended to mimic a fictitious story.  When Conan walks into the Tower of the Elephant, you expect him NOT to die.  When Gutboy Barrelhouse walked into the dungeons under the abandoned monastery, his player didn't have that same reassurance.  Now, if you get to "name level", then the characters become more like characters in a fiction story.  They have the capability to survive almost anything if played intelligently (even though survival may, in some cases, simply mean escaping with their lives).My point is, D&D wasn't originally cinematic, because beginning characters weren't meant to emulate action stars of movies, short stories or comic books until they were significantly advanced in power and level.  A game that treats all characters as action stars from the moment they are created is entirely different in approach and "feel", even if the two games happen to draw inspiration from the same sources.While I agree with PapersandPaychecks that any move away from a Storytelling/Narrativist/Dramatist focused game is probably good, I wouldn't characterize a move toward Cinematic gaming as taking the game closer to its roots.</blockquote>