D&D 5E Don't play "stupid" characters. It is ableist.

[AnotherGuy]

nI have one simple question. At what point in the history of the game of D&D did the backstory of a char and the subsequent acting out that char's personality supercede the actual mechanics of playing D&D? I remember very clearly how D&D was played some 40 years ago. At what point did it transition into a game where threads like this were even entertained?

People gain different levels of enjoyment from the various fun boxes in an RPG. Some value min-max over everything, some don't. It is all good.

 

[Vince_Snetterton]

How about we eliminate all racial ASI, everyone starts with 6x 11s and gets 8 points to freely assign at 1st level.
That way, everybody's slightly above average in everything, with a few better stats but nothing overpowered. And then everybody gets a participation trophy.

I would say six 9's, and 16 points to hand out, with no score more than 16. But I quibble. We are essentially talking a modified 27 point buy. The part about the participation trophy is quite on point.

 

[Vince_Snetterton]

People gain different levels of enjoyment from the various boxes in an RPG. Some value min-max over everything, some don't. It is all fun, it is all good.

I asked when did the inflection point happen, not whether every type of form of play under the so-called D&D tent is acceptable. From what I read here, or in just about any post anywhere, any article, the majority seem to now believe that sitting down with other people for 4 or 5 hours and talking about your char and its motivations is far more important that actually slaying a dragon.

I want to know when that happened.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

SHOW 'em a better way to be - don't just shout how wrong they are and DEMAND that they comply. It's going to viscerally affect the way people react to what you have to say. Beating people up in an effort to win their hearts and minds will not produce desired results.

 

[Cadence]

I asked when did the inflection point happen, not whether every type of form of play under the so-called D&D tent is acceptable. From what I read here, or in just about any post anywhere, any article, the majority seem to now believe that sitting down with other people for 4 or 5 hours and talking about your char and its motivations is far more important that actually slaying a dragon.

I want to know when that happened.

The 1e DMG was filled to the brim with personality traits for NPCs. I assumed PCs were supposed to be similarly fleshed out - albeit more in long running campaigns than dungeon crawls. I think we really started getting in to character in the 2e days (which could have been a function of age more than edition). Certainly when VtM was the D&D competition, character was huge.

In skilled play days, did anyone play a "stupid character"? For those folks should this be a non-issue?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I asked when did the inflection point happen, not whether every type of form of play under the so-called D&D tent is acceptable. From what I read here, or in just about any post anywhere, any article, the majority seem to now believe that sitting down with other people for 4 or 5 hours and talking about your char and its motivations is far more important that actually slaying a dragon.

I want to know when that happened.

Somewhere in the eighties I’d suspect.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I have one simple question. At what point in the history of the game of D&D did the backstory of a char and the subsequent acting out that char's personality supercede the actual mechanics of playing D&D? I remember very clearly how D&D was played some 40 years ago. At what point did it transition into a game where threads like this were even entertained?

I expect you meant your question rhetorically, but the Bioware Neverwinter Nights CRPG (2002) shipped with "stupid" dialogue, of the "me no tink so good" variety for characters with lower than a certain intelligence score. To add insult to injury, only half orcs could qualify without being hit by intelligence draining powers.

But really, D&D has always been divided into roll-players and role-players, right from the start, and some of that role playing weren't done too good.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Because the OP used a very poor choice of words to say "don't be a dick".

I suppose so, if “very poor choice of words” actually means “leaves oneself open to willful misinterpretation by people looking to be offended”.

 

[AnotherGuy]

I suppose so, if “very poor choice of words” actually means “leaves oneself open to willful misinterpretation by people looking to be offended”.

Imagine that, both camps accusing each other of being easily offended.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Imagine that, both camps accusing each other of being easily offended.

If you want to attract attention, start an argument.

If you want to be ignored, say something sensible.