For purposes of argument (stipulating imperfection), let's divide TRPG play into some rough categories:
(B) Events played out in close detail and with many die rolls, such as round-by-round combats.
(C) Events played out in close detail and with few or no die rolls, such as long discussions held entirely in-character.
(Genre example: the Council of Elrond.)
(D) Events played out with less detail, and few or no die rolls. For example, learning a language, using the downtime rules. Got 250 days and 250 GP? Add Elvish language proficiency to your list of abilities. DM determines how long it takes, might require some INT checks, but if a fellow PC knows Elvish and their player declares that they'll teach, then Bob's your uncle.
(F) Events played out using NONE of the DM's time and attention, decided solely by a player, within a standing agreement or honor system. For example, using downtime to recuperate (PHB p.187). No DM decisions are necessary. Alternatively, using GP which the PC has in their purse, to buy mundane, widely available items, such as lamp oil or re-stocking their supply of (normal) crossbow bolts. As a DM, I would rather trust players to just do that stuff on their own, when the PC is in a major city between adventures. It's not worth even a second of DM-player consultation.
(G) Puns, lewd innuendos, Shakespeare quotes (wait, that's redundant), etc., which don't affect the PCs.
(H) Pizza.
(J) Min-maxing.
Category transitions can happen, sometimes suddenly. Example:
The PCs visit their friendly local faction-liaison NPC. The DM plays that NPC, speaking in character, asking the PCs to go on a quest/mission against a dragon who's been raiding villages, and offering certain helpful resources if the PCs accept. This is resolved in category C. After the PCs explain that they'll need additional items to have an acceptable chance of success - which looks a LOT like haggling for more potions and scrolls - the PCs accept the quest.
The PCs then gather some additional resources suitable for a journey into the Dragonspine Mountains, and the DM handwaves that they can buy reasonable equipment and supplies, and the PCs load supplies and equipment onto pack mules. Category F. Well, except for rope and pitons, there's a shortage and only one merchant with any in stock, so either pay 125% or try a CHA roll to bargain them down to the price. Since there's a possible roll, category D.
Why? Because the Cult of the Dragon is also taking an interest in this dragon, and they're also sending a team, and thus that team is also buying climbing gear, field rations, pack mules, etc. *from the same vendors*. The players and the PCs have a chance to pick up on this. A merchant sold their entire supply of rope and pitons *just yesterday*, hunh, isn't that a little odd, who else is buying rope and pitons? If the *players* bother to ask about that rope-and-piton shortage, they can have their PCs ask, which shifts "Dramatic Adventures in Shopping!" from category F to category D, and an Investigation check ensues.
The players then set forth and journey to the dragon's lair. Maybe they get attacked along the way by some stereotypical bandits and/or wolves, so put figures on battlemat and roll initiative and that event is Category B. Maybe there's no "encounter", the DM just narrates terrain and weather (bleak, cold) and asks for a Survival check, category D.
When the PCs get close to the dragon's lair, they pass by a burned-out village with a few weeping survivors, they ascend into the mountains past the treeline, they establish line-of-sight to a huge cave mouth entrance when they're a kilometer away from that cave-mouth lair. At this point, the players start describing actions in more detail, such as interrogating those villagers, comforting weeping survivors and offering them spare food (whoah, actually RPing a Good alignment!), sending a flying familiar to scout the area around the cave, casting some Divination spells, etc. Their choices are significant, and determine whether the dragon notices their approach. The players want the PC to approach without the dragon spotting the PCs. The players and PC are, at this point, either aware that there's some other expedition (the dragon cultists), or not. Careful players have their PCs take some measures to watch out for other travelers and/or to avoid leaving a trackable trail. Either way, those decisions determine whether the dragon-cult team notices the PC team. Anyways, all these decisions and narration could take half an hour or possibly a full hour of session time, qualifying them for category C.
And then there's the guy playing the bard, who points out that hey, the PCs are making camp, they have a campfire, and what bard could resist the opportunity to bust out some campfire songs? If that player can get the other players to sit still for an impromptu performance of "The Cremation of Sam McGee", then we're deep into category G, possibly simultaneous category H, and possibly in the category of awesome. Yeah, that's ten minutes less of session time to resolve ANYTHING that happens in-game. But it might also be the most fun ten minutes of the session.
The PCs approach the dragon's lair. A band of 37 kobolds ambushes them! Figures to the battlemat, please! Suddenly we're in category B!
The PCs easily destroy the front rank of the kobold force. The remaining kobolds fall back to the cave mouth. The PCs pursue. The kobolds launch one last volley, then drop their bows, and flee into the cave itself.
At this point, the dwarf barbarian player is relishing every attack roll and damage roll, and looking forwards to the artisanal handcrafted defeat of the 37th kobold. Others are getting bored, don't see this as an interesting challenge, and ask the DM to handwave the pursuit and elimination of the remaining kobolds - which is to say, they're asking for a shift from category B to category D. The kobold leader was apparently using an enchanted bow; the ranger player is asking if the ranger can pick it up from where the fleeing kobold dropped it, and other players are pointing out that their characters are overdue for magic item loot, even if clearly the ranger has the strongest interest in bows, maybe it's time for a trade. The bard player says that he'll use Song of Rest when the players heal up their arrow wounds...
The players are all surprised when the DM says, how about this, assume that all attacks hit and KO a kobold, but keep moving your figures on the battlemat, and keep acting round by round in initiative order. The DM adds "Dan, if you want that bow, then get your figure to the place where the kobold dropped the bow, and no, that doesn't mean you OWN the bow, there's still a discussion to be had about shares of loot, and that discussion can't happen in combat time." *The DM is refusing the shift from category B to category D or F.*
Why? Because the dragon is waiting for the tactical moment to reveal its presence by shooting its Breath Weapon into the cave entrance area via a vent; it WANTS to hit the PCs while they're in pursuit of kobolds; it wants to attack the PCs before they can Short Rest, heal, etc. And yes, that vent is *right* where the kobold leader dropped that enchanted bow.
The players think the fight is over. The DM thinks otherwise.
The DM is also looking forwards to *another* incident of Category B - Category C - Category D confusion and clarification, if they players don't learn from the first one. Why? Because the Team Tiamat cultist expedition is still unrevealed to the PCs AND to the dragon!
(B) Events played out in close detail and with many die rolls, such as round-by-round combats.
(C) Events played out in close detail and with few or no die rolls, such as long discussions held entirely in-character.
(Genre example: the Council of Elrond.)
(D) Events played out with less detail, and few or no die rolls. For example, learning a language, using the downtime rules. Got 250 days and 250 GP? Add Elvish language proficiency to your list of abilities. DM determines how long it takes, might require some INT checks, but if a fellow PC knows Elvish and their player declares that they'll teach, then Bob's your uncle.
(F) Events played out using NONE of the DM's time and attention, decided solely by a player, within a standing agreement or honor system. For example, using downtime to recuperate (PHB p.187). No DM decisions are necessary. Alternatively, using GP which the PC has in their purse, to buy mundane, widely available items, such as lamp oil or re-stocking their supply of (normal) crossbow bolts. As a DM, I would rather trust players to just do that stuff on their own, when the PC is in a major city between adventures. It's not worth even a second of DM-player consultation.
(G) Puns, lewd innuendos, Shakespeare quotes (wait, that's redundant), etc., which don't affect the PCs.
(H) Pizza.
(J) Min-maxing.
Category transitions can happen, sometimes suddenly. Example:
The PCs visit their friendly local faction-liaison NPC. The DM plays that NPC, speaking in character, asking the PCs to go on a quest/mission against a dragon who's been raiding villages, and offering certain helpful resources if the PCs accept. This is resolved in category C. After the PCs explain that they'll need additional items to have an acceptable chance of success - which looks a LOT like haggling for more potions and scrolls - the PCs accept the quest.
The PCs then gather some additional resources suitable for a journey into the Dragonspine Mountains, and the DM handwaves that they can buy reasonable equipment and supplies, and the PCs load supplies and equipment onto pack mules. Category F. Well, except for rope and pitons, there's a shortage and only one merchant with any in stock, so either pay 125% or try a CHA roll to bargain them down to the price. Since there's a possible roll, category D.
Why? Because the Cult of the Dragon is also taking an interest in this dragon, and they're also sending a team, and thus that team is also buying climbing gear, field rations, pack mules, etc. *from the same vendors*. The players and the PCs have a chance to pick up on this. A merchant sold their entire supply of rope and pitons *just yesterday*, hunh, isn't that a little odd, who else is buying rope and pitons? If the *players* bother to ask about that rope-and-piton shortage, they can have their PCs ask, which shifts "Dramatic Adventures in Shopping!" from category F to category D, and an Investigation check ensues.
The players then set forth and journey to the dragon's lair. Maybe they get attacked along the way by some stereotypical bandits and/or wolves, so put figures on battlemat and roll initiative and that event is Category B. Maybe there's no "encounter", the DM just narrates terrain and weather (bleak, cold) and asks for a Survival check, category D.
When the PCs get close to the dragon's lair, they pass by a burned-out village with a few weeping survivors, they ascend into the mountains past the treeline, they establish line-of-sight to a huge cave mouth entrance when they're a kilometer away from that cave-mouth lair. At this point, the players start describing actions in more detail, such as interrogating those villagers, comforting weeping survivors and offering them spare food (whoah, actually RPing a Good alignment!), sending a flying familiar to scout the area around the cave, casting some Divination spells, etc. Their choices are significant, and determine whether the dragon notices their approach. The players want the PC to approach without the dragon spotting the PCs. The players and PC are, at this point, either aware that there's some other expedition (the dragon cultists), or not. Careful players have their PCs take some measures to watch out for other travelers and/or to avoid leaving a trackable trail. Either way, those decisions determine whether the dragon-cult team notices the PC team. Anyways, all these decisions and narration could take half an hour or possibly a full hour of session time, qualifying them for category C.
And then there's the guy playing the bard, who points out that hey, the PCs are making camp, they have a campfire, and what bard could resist the opportunity to bust out some campfire songs? If that player can get the other players to sit still for an impromptu performance of "The Cremation of Sam McGee", then we're deep into category G, possibly simultaneous category H, and possibly in the category of awesome. Yeah, that's ten minutes less of session time to resolve ANYTHING that happens in-game. But it might also be the most fun ten minutes of the session.
The PCs approach the dragon's lair. A band of 37 kobolds ambushes them! Figures to the battlemat, please! Suddenly we're in category B!
The PCs easily destroy the front rank of the kobold force. The remaining kobolds fall back to the cave mouth. The PCs pursue. The kobolds launch one last volley, then drop their bows, and flee into the cave itself.
At this point, the dwarf barbarian player is relishing every attack roll and damage roll, and looking forwards to the artisanal handcrafted defeat of the 37th kobold. Others are getting bored, don't see this as an interesting challenge, and ask the DM to handwave the pursuit and elimination of the remaining kobolds - which is to say, they're asking for a shift from category B to category D. The kobold leader was apparently using an enchanted bow; the ranger player is asking if the ranger can pick it up from where the fleeing kobold dropped it, and other players are pointing out that their characters are overdue for magic item loot, even if clearly the ranger has the strongest interest in bows, maybe it's time for a trade. The bard player says that he'll use Song of Rest when the players heal up their arrow wounds...
The players are all surprised when the DM says, how about this, assume that all attacks hit and KO a kobold, but keep moving your figures on the battlemat, and keep acting round by round in initiative order. The DM adds "Dan, if you want that bow, then get your figure to the place where the kobold dropped the bow, and no, that doesn't mean you OWN the bow, there's still a discussion to be had about shares of loot, and that discussion can't happen in combat time." *The DM is refusing the shift from category B to category D or F.*
Why? Because the dragon is waiting for the tactical moment to reveal its presence by shooting its Breath Weapon into the cave entrance area via a vent; it WANTS to hit the PCs while they're in pursuit of kobolds; it wants to attack the PCs before they can Short Rest, heal, etc. And yes, that vent is *right* where the kobold leader dropped that enchanted bow.
The players think the fight is over. The DM thinks otherwise.
The DM is also looking forwards to *another* incident of Category B - Category C - Category D confusion and clarification, if they players don't learn from the first one. Why? Because the Team Tiamat cultist expedition is still unrevealed to the PCs AND to the dragon!
