D&D General DM Authority

[Oofta]

If you want a game without combat, not sure why you'd play D&D.

 

[Maxperson]

If you want a game without combat, not sure why you'd play D&D.

Certainly not 5e. Combat is baked into virtually everything 5e, but you could do it easily in 3e. There were so many feats, non combat abilities for classes and prestige classes, and spells that are useful in social/exploration settings that a fun non-combat game would be doable. You'd have to re-work exp for social encounters and such, but I don't see a problem with it.

 

[FrogReaver]

Pro Tip: Never use an absolute on the internet such as "No one would ever want that." You know it's going to be incorrect as soon as you type it.

I'm still going with magic. It's a summoning invocation that summons someone to come forward and disagree. If this was science class, we could all go out and reproduce the results. There's no physical cause. Only thing left is magic

 

[FrogReaver]

If you want a game without combat, not sure why you'd play D&D.

The answer is: why not?

 

[FrogReaver]

Like @FrogReaver said, I'm coming in to disagree.

One of my play-by-post games that I've had the most fun in has gone on for a long time with minimal combat. I've had more fun out of combat in most games than in combat, where I generally just race the other side to zero hp.

To test my "it's magic" hypothesis, were you physically compelled in any way to come and disagree? What about emotionally or psychologically?

 

[Campbell]

I do not consider having one or two combat encounters over the course of a 5 hour session as being particularly minimal. It's pretty much been the experience I have had over the last 20 years of playing all sorts of roleplaying games.

For me personally what matters is tension. The threat of violence is just as compelling if not more compelling than the actual violence. Outside of a few exceptional games I find the actual process of playing it out not all that compelling. In my experience moderate violence games are not really super compatible with modern D&D, but it's worked well for me in Old School Essentials and other B/X clones, more out there OSR games like Into The Odd, AD&D, 4e, and PF2.

 

[Scott Christian]

Then I have to thoroughly disagree. Nobody is going to put in a set of house rules that they let the players decide mechanical decisions.

(There are games where the specific role of the GM is spelled out in ways that actively tell you if you change them you're changing the rules--some PbtA games do, for example. No incarnation of D&D does that; its a default procedure, but that's not the same as a rule.)

So we are debating procedure versus rule?

 

[Scott Christian]

Rule Zero: All of these rules can be changed.

You admit, you have played a game "round table" as you called it. That means it is possible. I'm not saying every game has to be this way, I'm not saying that everyone would enjoy it being this way, I'm not saying that it is the superior way to play, I'm not saying any of that.

I am saying it is possible.

You could have a group, likely of veteran players, sit down and play DnD without a DM. It can be done. They can have fun in the process.

That is all. That is the extent of my claims. It is possible, people can have fun doing it.

Can you please show me a video of this? I keep trying to picture it in my head, but can't. Not using the D&D ruleset (any edition). A long time ago they made a few solo adventures, which were more like choose your own adventures with dice, but that is the extent of my knowledge. So please, if there is a video out there where people play a D&D game, with D&D rules, using D&D dice and the MM and the PHB and the DMG, and do so without a DM, I want to watch.

I realize you are not saying good/bad, but rather possible/not possible. I would like to see the possible.

 

[Scott Christian]

Just a few things I found.
Here's one from the very first page of the DMG:
"The Dungeon Master
The Dungeon Master is the creative force behind a D&D game. The DM creates the world for others to explore, and also creates and runs adventures that drive the story... The D&D rules help you and the other players have a good time, but the rules aren't in charge. You're the DM, and you are in charge of the game."
Is this a rule? If it is (since someone has referred to it as "rule zero"), then the DM absolutely must exist - per rule zero.

 

[Oofta]

The answer is: why not?

You certainly can, and I've had sessions that had little or no combat. But no combat ever? Just seems like there are better options with more support.

Which is not to say that it's wrong, just kind of leaves me scratching my head is all.