D&D 5E Does/Should D&D Have the Player's Game Experience as a goal?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yeah, this idea that other games can somehow instill a sense of horror in players when they are never personally in danger more than D&D can is odd to me.

Have you played these other games, especially run by someone with experience in them?

Just because default D&D doesn't do some things doesn't mean they can't be done with a handful of optional rules from the book or homebrew.

Literally no one is arguing otherwise.

But just because you can use 5E to play checkers doesn't make it better at running checkers than an actual checkers set.

If you want to use 5E for everything, no one is stopping you and no one cares.

But I'm sure this will be dismissed out of hand because "of course other games are better". Which, if other games fit your expectations fantastic! I simply get tired of being told that things I've done in the past can't be done.

I don't think anyone is telling you that you can't do this stuff with 5E.

I could run fantasy dungeon crawls with Traveller and the fun police aren't going to break down the door and try and stop me. But I shouldn't get offended if people raise their eyebrows at that choice instead of playing D&D or some existing fantasy system to do that.

 

[Oofta]

Have you played these other games, especially run by someone with experience in them?

Literally no one is arguing otherwise.

But just because you can use 5E to play checkers doesn't make it better at running checkers than an actual checkers set.

If you want to use 5E for everything, no one is stopping you and no one cares.


I don't think anyone is telling you that you can't do this stuff with 5E.

I could run fantasy dungeon crawls with Traveller and the fun police aren't going to break down the door and try and stop me. But I shouldn't get offended if people raise their eyebrows at that choice instead of playing D&D or some existing fantasy system to do that.

If you want to play a game of intrigue and spying with little or no combat you likely wouldn't use D&D. I just disagree that I cant have intrigue and spying in my D&D game as well.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I just disagree that I cant have intrigue and spying in my D&D game as well.

Who is saying that to you?

 

[Imaro]

You've missed a number of posts and threads, then.

No I don't think so... but if you have an example can you please share.

I don't think anyone's saying that.

Lol... now it's my turn, huh... You've missed a number of posts and threads, then.

https://www.enworld.org/threads/unpopular-opinion-d-d-is-a-terrible-venue-for-horror.675105/ This thread has a ton of posters arguing D&D just can't do horror...

But no one should be getting upset when it's pointed out that Call of Cthulhu is better at playing out a Lovecraftian adventure than 5E, even if "well, I had a Deep One in my 5E game, and it went fine," which OK, sure.

If using low level 5e and the D&D stress rules is it?

 

[Oofta]

Who is saying that to you?

I just posted on this thread because I had no idea what the forum title or initial post meant or what the intent was. I don't really want to get into philosophical debates on specific games or approaches being "better" or "worse". Those kind of debates are about as productive as edition wars.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

https://www.enworld.org/threads/unpopular-opinion-d-d-is-a-terrible-venue-for-horror.675105/ This thread has a ton of posters arguing D&D just can't do horror...

That thread, which I believe I participated in, is mostly people saying it's possible but there are are parts of 5E that make it harder ...

If using low level 5e and the D&D stress rules is it?

... which you seem to implicitly agree with.

I run horror games in 5E, when it comes up in the context of my campaign, and have run convention horrific one-shots. I'm pretty darn good at it, if I do say so myself.

But if you're trying to emulate the works of Lovecraft, the game where characters die easily and whose sanity fractures when exposed to horror is probably better at emulating that than the game where even a first level character can go toe to toe with all sorts of horrors and make it back to the tavern to tell the tale. Which is fine -- one game is about fragile people in over their head, the other is about big damned heroes.

If you need to create a bunch of new rules to change one game into the other, that's an agreement that, by default, the game isn't designed to do that kind of play.

No one cares if you want to do that instead of just playing a game designed for the other experience. Go nuts.

Being angry that other people would rather use CoC for that instead of 5E is kind of a waste of your limited time here on Earth, though.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I just posted on this thread because I had no idea what the forum title or initial post meant or what the intent was. I don't really want to get into philosophical debates on specific games or approaches being "better" or "worse". Those kind of debates are about as productive as edition wars.

So now that you know what the discussion is about, and it's about stuff that seems to upset you, why are you staying?

 

[Oofta]

So now that you know what the discussion is about, and it's about stuff that seems to upset you, why are you staying?

Why would I be upset? I just see no point in this line of conversation. I disagree with many things stated but it's pointless to argue about some things.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Why would I be upset? I just see no point in this line of conversation. I disagree with many things stated but it's pointless to argue about some things.

Why are you participating in these threads, then?

 

[Imaro]

That thread, which I believe I participated in, is mostly people saying it's possible but there are are parts of 5E that make it harder ...


... which you seem to implicitly agree with.

And yet there are people in that thread stating it can't be done... You said no one did that, I provided examples... where are yours?

I run horror games in 5E, when it comes up in the context of my campaign, and have run convention horrific one-shots. I'm pretty darn good at it, if I do say so myself.

But if you're trying to emulate the works of Lovecraft, the game where characters die easily and whose sanity fractures when exposed to horror is probably better at emulating that than the game where even a first level character can go toe to toe with all sorts of horrors and make it back to the tavern to tell the tale. Which is fine -- one game is about fragile people in over their head, the other is about big damned heroes.

1st level characters can go toe to toe with all sorts of horrors...What game are you talking about here because it's not D&D 5e... 1st level characters can easily fall to a regular mugger with a dagger.

If you need to create a bunch of new rules to change one game into the other, that's an agreement that, by default, the game isn't designed to do that kind of play.

What "bunch" of new rules... the same amount as the sanity rules that were added to BRP in order to create the CoC game?

No one cares if you want to do that instead of just playing a game designed for the other experience. Go nuts.

Then why are you commenting?

Being angry that other people would rather use CoC for that instead of 5E is kind of a waste of your limited time here on Earth, though.

Angry?? Whose angry?

EDIT: Ah I see... you've decided to paint any poster you're engaged with, and who doesn't agree with your position, as angry or upset for some reason. Got it.