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<blockquote data-quote="billd91" data-source="post: 7716674" data-attributes="member: 3400">The trends toward less final lethality has been ongoing since well before the APs. And it happens in homegrown campaigns as well as published module campaigns. Players become attached to their PCs - in D&amp;D more than any other RPG I've personally played - and want to keep playing them. Sometimes it's because of their story, but I've noticed since 3e came out, it seems to be because of mechanical concept at least as often. When it started to become en vogue to plan out a build over multiple levels, that also put some pressure on the game to allow that player to actually play out that advancement and that has absolutely nothing to do with story.I think this may ultimately have a lot more to do with the ultimate conceit of D&amp;D right from the beginning - that this is more than a war game, more than just a game that enables a player to play a single token on a game board, but a game in which the player plays a distinct PC with their own values and agendas. The ability to improve in the first place fosters a sense of connection between the PC and the player whether it's via better gear, wealth, or XPs and levels. All of those encourage a player to play the game longer, to achieve more with their play, and that alone will spark the trend toward being able to keep going with that same character and amass new achievements. Games, particularly casual computer games, have developed that to a pretty sophisticated science.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="billd91, post: 7716674, member: 3400"] The trends toward less final lethality has been ongoing since well before the APs. And it happens in homegrown campaigns as well as published module campaigns. Players become attached to their PCs - in D&D more than any other RPG I've personally played - and want to keep playing them. Sometimes it's because of their story, but I've noticed since 3e came out, it seems to be because of mechanical concept at least as often. When it started to become en vogue to plan out a build over multiple levels, that also put some pressure on the game to allow that player to actually play out that advancement and that has absolutely nothing to do with story. I think this may ultimately have a lot more to do with the ultimate conceit of D&D right from the beginning - that this is more than a war game, more than just a game that enables a player to play a single token on a game board, but a game in which the player plays a distinct PC with their own values and agendas. The ability to improve in the first place fosters a sense of connection between the PC and the player whether it's via better gear, wealth, or XPs and levels. All of those encourage a player to play the game longer, to achieve more with their play, and that alone will spark the trend toward being able to keep going with that same character and amass new achievements. Games, particularly casual computer games, have developed that to a pretty sophisticated science. [/QUOTE]

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