D&D General Eliminating the whiff factor

[CleverNickName]

Other games do that. D&D doesn't. Could you houserule D&D to be like that? Sure. But it wouldn't be D&D anymore, so why? Just play that other game.

Why? Well, it's possible that there are 100 things about that "other game" that the person doesn't like compared to D&D, but only this one thing that they prefer. Seems reasonable to want to adapt that one thing to the game you know and love, instead of learning to tolerate a whole other game that you don't (and convincing everyone else to learn/tolerate it also.)

 

[Michael Mornard]

Try playing a game where a turn of combat doesn't take 10 or 15 minutes. OD&D takes about 1 minute per turn of combat, so if you miss, you will get another chance soon.

 

[Lanefan]

Sometimes you get a base hit. Sometimes the pitcher gives up a walk, or hits you, or the fielders mess things up, so you get on base that way. More often, though, your at-bat generates nothing useful; and occasionally it generates something negative e.g. you strain a muscle or painfully foul one off your foot.

This odds-of-success model has worked just fine for baseball for well over a century; no reason whatsoever that it can't also work for a TTRPG: you hit (analagous to getting on base somehow) maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the time, you miss most of the rest of the time, occasionally you fumble (analagous to a batter hurting himself), and occasionally you crit (analagous to a home run).

 

[Charlaquin]

Other games do that. D&D doesn't. Could you houserule D&D to be like that? Sure. But it wouldn't be D&D anymore, so why? Just play that other game.

If this was literally the only difference between D&D and whatever other game, you would have a good point.

 

[Charlaquin]

Sometimes you get a base hit. Sometimes the pitcher gives up a walk, or hits you, or the fielders mess things up, so you get on base that way. More often, though, your at-bat generates nothing useful; and occasionally it generates something negative e.g. you strain a muscle or painfully foul one off your foot.

This odds-of-success model has worked just fine for baseball for well over a century; no reason whatsoever that it can't also work for a TTRPG: you hit (analagous to getting on base somehow) maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the time, you miss most of the rest of the time, occasionally you fumble (analagous to a batter hurting himself), and occasionally you crit (analagous to a home run).

You know what happens every time you’re at-bat though? Something. Not always something positive, but always something.

 

[overgeeked]

I thought the point of this was to make the game more exciting. If the same thing happens on every miss then it would be even more boring than nothing happening.

Less dull, more exciting. Same same. You could describe the damage however you want, giving it a bit of dramatic flourish and flair. Throwing dice and nothing happening is dull. Throwing dice and something happening is better. Throwing dice and something exciting happening is best. I’d like to speed up the game and eliminate the null/dull result of nothing happening when dice get thrown.

 

[Asisreo]

Does this "Something" have to be purely mechanical?

For instance, if the fighter misses their swing, the monster smirks and turns its attention to the fighter where it would otherwise had fought the bard.

Or even less mechanical, the fighter dodging the ogre's massive club impresses the Knight Captain and his performance ultimately lets him enlist in an elite unit.

 

[Lanefan]

You know what happens every time you’re at-bat though? Something. Not always something positive, but always something.

Just the same as every time you roll a to-hit die: something happens.

Even if that something doesn't take as long as does a baseball at-bat, and even if that something is disappointing to you, the roller, something happens.

 

[overgeeked]

Sometimes you get a base hit. Sometimes the pitcher gives up a walk, or hits you, or the fielders mess things up, so you get on base that way. More often, though, your at-bat generates nothing useful; and occasionally it generates something negative e.g. you strain a muscle or painfully foul one off your foot.

This odds-of-success model has worked just fine for baseball for well over a century; no reason whatsoever that it can't also work for a TTRPG: you hit (analagous to getting on base somehow) maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the time, you miss most of the rest of the time, occasionally you fumble (analagous to a batter hurting himself), and occasionally you crit (analagous to a home run).

Uhm...how do I put this delicately. Baseball isn’t commonly seen as a particularly fast-paced or exciting sport to watch, so I’m not sure it’s a great...positive comparison for how D&D combat should run.

 

[overgeeked]

Just the same as every time you roll a to-hit die: something happens.

Even if that something doesn't take as long as does a baseball at-bat, and even if that something is disappointing to you, the roller, something happens.

Nothing happening in a D&D combat round is dull. Nothing happens when you miss. It’s disappointing because nothing happens.