D&D 5E Consequences of Failure

[Yardiff]

So did you mean that actually doing it would be in poor taste? Yes, with that I would agree.

I disagree you should always rub your players nose in it when they miss something because of a bad roll!

 

[Aldarc]

Simple answer: realism. Not everything is going to be 'interesting' every time.

That's precisely why I force my players to fill out fantasy tax forms, stand in long queues, and travel long distances in real time. If it takes a day to travel to that place, then they will be roleplaying that in real time because REALISM! Wooohooo! Who cares about pacing or valuing the player's time? Realism doesn't care about pacing so neither should I!

 

[Guest 6801328]

That's precisely why I force my players to fill out fantasy tax forms, stand in long queues, and travel long distances in real time. If it takes a day to travel to that place, then they will be roleplaying that in real time because REALISM! Wooohooo! Who cares about pacing or valuing the player's time? Realism doesn't care about pacing so neither should I!

Two words: dental hygiene.

More seriously, there are lots of types of realism. I don't care about realistic, historically accurate armor, for example. Or economics. I once read an article detailing population densities and settlement sizes and militia compositions for Middle Earth, based off of historical data from northern Europe. Amazing research and impressive knowledge. And I have zero use for it. If I want to plop a village or an inn or whatever in the middle of nowhere, I feel no compulsion to explain what it produces or who it trades with. Not interesting (to me).

We all have our pet peeves about realism. Some people really do care, deeply and passionately, about historically accurate armor. But I roll my eyes at "logic puzzle" traps in dungeons. Why would a mighty wizard protect his sanctum with a lock that can be figured out? Can you imagine keeping a safe in your office, and putting a riddle on the door that, if you solve it, reveals the combination?

But there is a kind of "realism" that brings a story to life. That I agree with. What kind of realism is necessary just varies from player to player.

 

[Maxperson]

But there is a kind of "realism" that brings a story to life. That I agree with. What kind of realism is necessary just varies from player to player.

Yeah. I almost responded to @Aldarc, but I think that was a joke post, rather than a deliberate twisting of what @Lanefan meant when he brought up realism.

 

[Oofta]

I think there's a lot of ways of doing slightly more realism without doing boring stuff. For example I don't bother having people map out anything because that, to me is boring. I only have detailed maps for interesting places.

I lean on passive perception for general exploration, whether that's wilderness, dungeons, ruins, etc.

 

[Campbell]

Currently uninhabited rooms in a dungeon are definitely a thing. There does not need to be a trap, treasure, or a possible combat encounter in every room, but I still think there should be something of interest like maps that can reveal the orcs plans or books or art work that reveal something interesting about the setting's lore. Maybe it is a defensible position that is currently unmanned and could be used to the players' advantage. Maybe it is a barracks room that the characters could later use when the orcs are sleeping to kill them in their sleep. Maybe a patrol goes through the room from time to time.

 

[Ovinomancer]

"Realism" is a stand-in justification for preference.

 

[lowkey13]

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[Oofta]

And there are other people that truly enjoy mapping things out. I know, weird?

I think this is why @Elfcrusher is exactly correct, and I don't agree with @Aldarc and the hyperbole he used; it is obvious that we are engaged in a game, and that game is supposed to be fun (otherwise, why bother?).

But different people get their fun from different aspects; some people really truly enjoy resource management, other people enjoy some degree of historical fidelity, others enjoy fantastical roleplaying and wordplay, and so on.

Different people have different breaking points for immersion and/or realism. For some, the idea of a dungeon stocked with monsters of different types that just sit there, waiting to be killed (and no bathrooms!) is completely realistic (ahem), yet they would demand strict fidelity to encumbrance and rations and ammunition. Others think tracking items and such is silly, but can't imagine a "dungeon crawl" as that would be unrealistic. And so on and so forth.

Best, in general, to not yuck on someone else's yum.

But ... if you have no bathrooms where you put the Oytugh?

 

[lowkey13]

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