Do you play more for the story or the combat?

[joethelawyer]

Forked from: I think we're done with 4E

Not to be snarky, but if you're not playing D&D to kill monsters and take their stuff, you are probably in the minority.

D&D is now and ever has been a game about combat.

Campaigns that focus on story (as many do, successfully) transcend that core function.

I am not going to give the wishy-washy option of "Both!" Even if it 50.0000001% one way or the other, one is more important to everyone than the other.

Mine is clearly the story. I couldn't care less about combat.

 

[aurance]

Uhm... both.

Sometimes it's a little bit more one way or the other, depending on mood.

Why is "both" not an option? I don't think I can quantify how much I like one or the other to +/- 0.0000001%.

 

[thecasualoblivion]

50% Story and 50% Combat though you didn't give that as a choice in your poll.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Story, combat is fun and all. But it is the story that drives the game and keeps us going. We have whole sessions without a single combat encounter.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Story (which includes, in addition to plot, role-playing, PC-to-PC and PC-to-NPC interaction, investigation, and figuring things out). I love a good fight in D&D, but I want it to advance the plot, not happen "just because."

Combat in D&D is, to me, just one of many sorts of scenes and tools at the DM's disposal; it's a means, not an end unto itself.

 

[Admiral Caine]

I voted story, but the caveat to that is that combat is necessary.

I respect the notion of not having a "Both" option, but there is something very true and valid about balance.

Putting it in context:
If my voting for "story" suggests to you that I don't enjoy "combat", you would not be representing my tastes accurately.

 

[SabreCat]

I'm assuming we're talking about combat-rules-heavy games like D&D or Savage Worlds here. Those I definitely play more for the combat. If I want to play a story-focused game, I'll play something that has a specifically story-oriented play structure.

Story is necessary to make the combat meaningful and enjoyable, but it's not the meat of a D&D game for me.

 

[WhatGravitas]

I am not going to give the wishy-washy option of "Both!" Even if it 50.0000001% one way or the other, one is more important to everyone than the other.

Well, I would have said "both"... but if I absolutely have to decide, I come down to story. It is what makes it different from a skirmish/miniature game.

Combat is fun - and as in heroic myths - a vital part of the story, but it has to serve a purpose in the story. Combat for combat's sake is boring to me.

Ultimately, the story makes me care about these combats... though sometimes you have these silly days where you only want to whack something. But they are the exception, not the rule.

EDIT: The problem with the poll, however, is the biased group you ask. People who only play for occasional whacking and monster slaying... do it and don't think a lot more about it. People who care about story, like flavour... have hence a much, much bigger draw to a forum like ENWorld to discuss more than just combat.

Cheers, LT.

 

[fanboy2000]

I selected combat because 1) I run combat heavy games and 2) The story comes later, after things have happened.

I don't really have a story in my games. In my game, things happen and the PCs have to overcome challenges and solve problems. Once success or failure is known, then there's a story, but not until then.

 

[Betote]

If I play D&D, it's a mix of story and combat.When I don't care about combat, I play Cthulhu (Call or Trail), Fudge or Risus. If I don't care about story, I play DDM, Heroclix or Wings of War.