Challenge the Players, Not the Characters' Stats

[justanobody]

Perhaps it is irrelevant. (And I don’t have the 4e DMG anyway.) But it seems to me that Wizards never expected the skill challenges section to be examined and debated the way they did—say—the combat system.

Isn’t this little more just a “hey, here’s roughly one way to do some stuff”?

More than a little, it is exactly that. Yet some refuse that a way other than their reading is even a viable approach.

 

[The Little Raven]

Yet some refuse that a way other than their reading is even a viable approach.

This post has been nominated for "Most Ironic Post in a D&D Thread."

 

[Raven Crowking]

This post has been nominated for "Most Ironic Post in a D&D Thread."

Like rain on your wedding day?

 

[pemerton]

Anything else is roleplaying*, of which I have found very little rules for in the PHB upon my reading of it.

It occupies a good chunk of chapters 1 and 2, and examples of PC personas are given in chapters 3 and 4.

Was there more of this sort of thing in earlier editions of the PHB. I don't know the 2nd ed one, but 1st ed AD&D had little on roleplaying (as opposed to an entirely metagame account of what is involved in preparing for a dungeon expedition) and the 3rd ed PHB has a little bit in chapter 6.

 

[pemerton]

But it seems to me that Wizards never expected the skill challenges section to be examined and debated the way they did—say—the combat system.

Isn’t this little more just a “hey, here’s roughly one way to do some stuff”?

Id be surprised if they didn't expect a fair bit of examination, given that it is a big innovation for D&D, and is naturally going to be compared to the similar systems in other well-known and well-regarded RPGs from which it appears to be (more-or-less) derived.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I am just curious. Is the PHB written for the characters to read or the players of D&D to read?

Are you suggesting that the word "you" in the PHB always refers to the player, and never to the character?

-Hyp.

 

[justanobody]

Are you suggesting that the word "you" in the PHB always refers to the player, and never to the character?

-Hyp.

Usually when using the English language in instructional/technical manuals the word "you" addresses the reader of the book.

Step 1: Remove all components from the box.
~~~

Step X: Insert Tab A into Slot B.

Here the word is not used to conserve space, but the "you" is understood and not directly included in the instructions.

This post has been nominated for "Most Ironic Post in a D&D Thread."

Oh please explain how. Make sure you have read the entire thread.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Usually when using the English language in instructional/technical manuals the word "you" addresses the reader of the book.

And so do you feel that this is the case in the PHB - that the word 'you' always refers to the player, not to the character?

-Hyp.

 

[justanobody]

And so do you feel that this is the case in the PHB - that the word 'you' always refers to the player, not to the character?

-Hyp.

I should hope so. Maybe the person who was delightful enough to count the uses of the word "fun" in the PHB would be so delightful to check the use of the word "you" in the PHB instructional segments.

 

[MerricB]

I should hope so. Maybe the person who was delightful enough to count the uses of the word "fun" in the PHB would be so delightful to check the use of the word "you" in the PHB instructional segments.

Does Acrobat have word count?

Cheers!