Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Hot Take: Uncertainty Makes D&D Better
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 8922653" data-attributes="member: 87792"><p>To me there's a huge difference between storygames and storytelling games. There is a system called the Storytelling system and another called the Storyteller system (I forget which is which); they are the systems used in the White Wolf games like Vampire: the Masquerade, Vampire: the Requiem, or Exalted. Fundamentally I find that in the micro the Storytellx system is little different to D&D in that it's a fairly simple pass/fail system (although at least hits matter) with a lot of mechanics that don't add to much. And in the macro they lead to 90s style railroads and tightly controlled adventure paths much of the time.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile <em>Storygames</em> came out of the basic impulse "We want to do what the White Wolf games promise but almost never deliver on". Not an adventure path to be seen in any storygame I can think of. The macro outcome is intentionally utterly uncertain outside one shots - and part of the joy of one shots is that death and failure are both much more on the line.</p><p></p><p>And it's a distinction without a meaningful difference. You're just slapping a coat of paint over the top and trying to convince me that it's a different building. The thing that matters is <em>does the lock get picked? </em>Does the coat of paint have a non-zero effect in sprucing up the building? Yes. Will it change the size, layout, or shape? Not in the slightest.</p><p></p><p>And even if I've already replied to the OP about how success with consequences is very common in Storygames I missed a huge point here; you're decrying a <em>huge</em> source of uncertainty. In D&D there is <em>one player</em> who controls the world (the DM). One player who writes or at least runs the dungeon (the DM). One player who has a lot of knowledge and a lot of certainty.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile in what you are describing there isn't just one player with the ability to say things that become true - but five or six. Which means that we have a situation where everyone is throwing in their own recipies and creating uncertainty. It's a lot <em>less</em> certain than D&D because of it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Neonchameleon, post: 8922653, member: 87792"] To me there's a huge difference between storygames and storytelling games. There is a system called the Storytelling system and another called the Storyteller system (I forget which is which); they are the systems used in the White Wolf games like Vampire: the Masquerade, Vampire: the Requiem, or Exalted. Fundamentally I find that in the micro the Storytellx system is little different to D&D in that it's a fairly simple pass/fail system (although at least hits matter) with a lot of mechanics that don't add to much. And in the macro they lead to 90s style railroads and tightly controlled adventure paths much of the time. Meanwhile [I]Storygames[/I] came out of the basic impulse "We want to do what the White Wolf games promise but almost never deliver on". Not an adventure path to be seen in any storygame I can think of. The macro outcome is intentionally utterly uncertain outside one shots - and part of the joy of one shots is that death and failure are both much more on the line. And it's a distinction without a meaningful difference. You're just slapping a coat of paint over the top and trying to convince me that it's a different building. The thing that matters is [I]does the lock get picked? [/I]Does the coat of paint have a non-zero effect in sprucing up the building? Yes. Will it change the size, layout, or shape? Not in the slightest.[I][/I] And even if I've already replied to the OP about how success with consequences is very common in Storygames I missed a huge point here; you're decrying a [I]huge[/I] source of uncertainty. In D&D there is [I]one player[/I] who controls the world (the DM). One player who writes or at least runs the dungeon (the DM). One player who has a lot of knowledge and a lot of certainty. Meanwhile in what you are describing there isn't just one player with the ability to say things that become true - but five or six. Which means that we have a situation where everyone is throwing in their own recipies and creating uncertainty. It's a lot [I]less[/I] certain than D&D because of it. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Hot Take: Uncertainty Makes D&D Better
Top