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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
D&D's Evolution: Rulings, Rules, and "System Matters"
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<blockquote data-quote="Chaosmancer" data-source="post: 8398205" data-attributes="member: 6801228"><p>Okay, but this only handles a single side of the equation. Not overriding a character's agency in their thoughts and actions is simply not cheating on the player side. But, the DM controls the thoughts and actions of the NPC side absolutely. You could try applying a standard like Sanderson's, but I don't think that would quite cover the same ground. </p><p></p><p>It seems where this idea is heading is that neutrality exists as long as the explanation "makes sense" in the context of the world, but not only does that run into issues in regards to genre tropes which often break the realism of the world in exchange for story logic, but it also runs into issues with idiosyncratic approaches. It may "make sense" that the super genius villian started their plan 30 minutes before the heroes arrived, but that isn't satisfying for the characters. It could still be considered "neutral" though, even though it denies the players the chance to, well, play. </p><p></p><p>Not favoring one side or the other when you are a third-party makes a lot of sense. But when you are one of the two parties, it becomes a rather strange set-up.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Chaosmancer, post: 8398205, member: 6801228"] Okay, but this only handles a single side of the equation. Not overriding a character's agency in their thoughts and actions is simply not cheating on the player side. But, the DM controls the thoughts and actions of the NPC side absolutely. You could try applying a standard like Sanderson's, but I don't think that would quite cover the same ground. It seems where this idea is heading is that neutrality exists as long as the explanation "makes sense" in the context of the world, but not only does that run into issues in regards to genre tropes which often break the realism of the world in exchange for story logic, but it also runs into issues with idiosyncratic approaches. It may "make sense" that the super genius villian started their plan 30 minutes before the heroes arrived, but that isn't satisfying for the characters. It could still be considered "neutral" though, even though it denies the players the chance to, well, play. Not favoring one side or the other when you are a third-party makes a lot of sense. But when you are one of the two parties, it becomes a rather strange set-up. [/QUOTE]
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D&D's Evolution: Rulings, Rules, and "System Matters"
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