D&D (2024) Do players really want balance?

[Zardnaar]

I'm happy to do the heavy lifting myself. I want survival mechanics in my TTRPGs too.

Depends how they're dome for me. Darksuns fine

 

[Lanefan]

And this design decision resulted in explosive increases in sales.

Over a decade later.

Most of the key underlying design decisions intended to change the playstyle were made during the run-up to 3e, courtesy of the very flawed survey they did and Ryan Dancey's report thereon.

That was in 1999. The real explosion in sales came during the mid-2010s, two editions later; then a reinforcing shot came during lockdown times.

The timing would suggest any correlation is at best accidental.

Unless you're willing to make the statement "Most DnD players who play the game regularly aren't having a good time and those who but supplements do so despite not enjoying the game because an average entertainment consumer has no idea what it feels like to enjoy something" and further that if the designers of the product made it different in a way that people have been buying at high rates and instead sold something that, while certainly available, people haven't been buying in high rates, they would somehow make more money...

Well, those are pretty bold claims.

Yeah yeah, popular doesn't equal quality but "different kind of fun" is not a difference in quality.

I can only assume these bits are in reply to someone who has me blocked, as they make no sense in reply to what you quoted me on.

 

[Zardnaar]

Over a decade later.

Most of the key underlying design decisions intended to change the playstyle were made during the run-up to 3e, courtesy of the very flawed survey they did and Ryan Dancey's report thereon.

That was in 1999. The real explosion in sales came during the mid-2010s, two editions later; then a reinforcing shot came during lockdown times.

The timing would suggest any correlation is at best accidental.

I can only assume these bits are in reply to someone who has me blocked, as they make no sense in reply to what you quoted me on.

What was the 1999 one?

 

[Lanefan]

What was the 1999 one?

At the top of this page, the farthest-right dropdown menu is labelled "Features". Click on that, it's the second item on the list.

 

[pemerton]

This is just some weird caricature or strawman that I do not recognise, so I really do not know how to respond.

The search function turned up this post from you in May of this year:

@Hussar I agree that most of the stuff in the game should be "about something." Not everything, some bits can be adding flavour, but most of the time characters should be doing something consequential. But sometimes those "pointless side quests" can become satisfying stories in their own right.

One thing I've grown tired of RPGs in particular but in other media too are massive and overarching "main plots." I have come to appreciate episodic storytelling.

So I get the impression that you are reasonably familiar with the way that a lot of FRPG play is based around concepts like "the adventure", "quest givers", "side quests" etc.

 

[pemerton]

I can see the argument for Batman, as he often is ludicrously plot powered Mary Sue, but not really for Conan, unless we go on the level of some really nit-picky details.

I am talking about the REH Conan stories. He wins just about every fight he engages in. He survives being crucified in the desert.

 

[pemerton]

Resurrection magic (like all other magic) is one of those places where realism is replaced by verisimilitude.

What is remotely verisimilitudinous about people being repeatedly raised from the dead? It's pretty silly in my view.

 

[pemerton]

Ideally IMO the players are not declaring actions based on those very narrative things.

The ideal for mainstream RPG play, which I believe is flagged in the new DMG (under the rubric "respect for the GM"), is that players recognise and follow the GM's plot hooks.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I am talking about the REH Conan stories. He wins just about every fight he engages in. He survives being crucified in the desert.

Yes, hence my question about uncertainty earlier. And you said you chose the uncertainty. Thus the game Conan doesn't need to have guaranteed a win. Though my D&D party has won overwhelming majority of their fights as well, and like I said earlier, I give them way harder fights than the books suggests, so pretty consistently winning seems trivially doable with D&D rules.

Also, surviving crucifixion is something perfectly possible in D&D and in real life. Oh,and in that story Conan ended up in such a situation because he lost a fight!

 

[Crimson Longinus]

The search function turned up this post from you in May of this year:
So I get the impression that you are reasonably familiar with the way that a lot of FRPG play is based around concepts like "the adventure", "quest givers", "side quests" etc.

Yes, I am familiar with the concepts, it was your characterisation of how those appear in play and how the actor stance is handled which I found strawmanny. I am sure there are people who play in the way you suggest, but those probably are not the same people who deeply care about the actor stance.