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<blockquote data-quote="Mannahnin" data-source="post: 9535816" data-attributes="member: 7026594">Sort of.&nbsp; When the modules outright tell the DM to resurrect important NPCs if they happened to die in a previous installment, they're overriding the baseline mechanics in service to the story.Yeah, I'd have a hard time seeing that with D&amp;D, but there are definitely a sub-set of gamers who wanted to play that way.&nbsp; Remember Amber Diceless RPG?&nbsp; Came out the same year as Vampire.I have a hard time characterizing any form of D&amp;D as simulationist.&nbsp; 2E did a fair bit to rationalize and clean up 1E, but it's still the same core structure.&nbsp; Which Gary was explicit in saying was designed to prioritize heroic action over realism.&nbsp; He doesn't name any of the competitors he was referring to with the following passages from the 1979 DMG, but he's talking about stuff like Chivalry &amp; Sorcery, or the more complex and detailed Perrin Conventions for D&amp;D combat, which became the RuneQuest game system.The 2E DMG, in The Fine Art of Being a DM, at the front, tells the reader that...Of course, most of the how-to advice for that was pushed to the widely-loved and acclaimed Campaign Sourcebook &amp; Catacomb Guide by Jennell Jaquays, including stuff on pacing, drama, props, mood music, &quot;When Rules Get in the Way&quot;, &quot;Fudging or Constructive Cheating&quot;, and &quot;Leaving the Rules Behind&quot;.One of the most interesting tensions in 2E, and for me I think the reason why it no longer appeals to me despite it being the TSR edition I played the most of back in the day, is how the gamist rules structure conflicts with the story-forward Trad approach that had become dominant in TSR's adventure design and advice for DMs.&nbsp; This was the main reason I never wanted to DM when I was young, I think, because I couldn't figure out how to make the game the dramatic story I expected it to be while playing by the rules.&nbsp; You practically had to fudge to avoid an excessive death rate.&nbsp; 3rd ed gave better tools, and 4E made adventure design outright easy, so those were where I really cut my teeth as a DM.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Mannahnin, post: 9535816, member: 7026594"] Sort of. When the modules outright tell the DM to resurrect important NPCs if they happened to die in a previous installment, they're overriding the baseline mechanics in service to the story. Yeah, I'd have a hard time seeing that with D&D, but there are definitely a sub-set of gamers who wanted to play that way. Remember Amber Diceless RPG? Came out the same year as Vampire. I have a hard time characterizing any form of D&D as simulationist. 2E did a fair bit to rationalize and clean up 1E, but it's still the same core structure. Which Gary was explicit in saying was designed to prioritize heroic action over realism. He doesn't name any of the competitors he was referring to with the following passages from the 1979 DMG, but he's talking about stuff like Chivalry & Sorcery, or the more complex and detailed Perrin Conventions for D&D combat, which became the RuneQuest game system. The 2E DMG, in The Fine Art of Being a DM, at the front, tells the reader that... Of course, most of the how-to advice for that was pushed to the widely-loved and acclaimed [I]Campaign Sourcebook & Catacomb Guide[/I] by Jennell Jaquays, including stuff on pacing, drama, props, mood music, "When Rules Get in the Way", "Fudging or Constructive Cheating", and "Leaving the Rules Behind". One of the most interesting tensions in 2E, and for me I think the reason why it no longer appeals to me despite it being the TSR edition I played the most of back in the day, is how the gamist rules structure conflicts with the story-forward Trad approach that had become dominant in TSR's adventure design and advice for DMs. This was the main reason I never wanted to DM when I was young, I think, because I couldn't figure out how to make the game the dramatic story I expected it to be while playing by the rules. You practically [I]had [/I]to fudge to avoid an excessive death rate. 3rd ed gave better tools, and 4E made adventure design outright easy, so those were where I really cut my teeth as a DM. [/QUOTE]

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