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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aldarc" data-source="post: 9887284" data-attributes="member: 5142">Yes, but I would also naturally like to think so as the OP of this thread. I'm not sure if they are concerned with mechanics so much as they are about aims and approaches. You can play, for example, 5e D&D as CaW but also as CaS. However, as [USER=177]@Umbran[/USER] said, the design philosophy of 5e is oriented more towards the latter, arguably more so now in 5.5 than 5.0. Likewise, there are games out there, IMHO, that mechanically support CaT. Two such games have been mentioned and discussed briefly prior: i.e., Daggerheart and Fabula Ultima. However, I also mistakenly posted this thread in the D&D subforum when I meant to post it in General. The upside is that this clearly generated more eyes on this thread, and I have been delighted with its positive response. However, the downside is that the primary context for discussion will likely be D&D and not these other games, and I would like to respect that. IMHO, Combat as Theater should be not equated with roleplay. It's more about combat as an approach that emphasizes drama and character expression. Even if our characters are there to win, we are not there to overcome an asymmetric encounter or solve/overcome a balanced one. The combat encounter exists as theater that should reveal character and generate narrative drama. Mechanically, that is its purpose. This may involve symmetric or asymmetric combat. The symmetry of the situation isn't the point. We may even be interested in losing combat in order to generate dramatic outcomes. But to be clear, this thread is about exploring the idea of Combat as Theater. It's not set in stone. If it exists, which I optimistically believe does, then we are all here hammering it out.</blockquote>

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