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Hot Take: Uncertainty Makes D&D Better
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<blockquote data-quote="Ruin Explorer" data-source="post: 8923969" data-attributes="member: 18"><p>Maybe extreme is the wrong word, then.</p><p></p><p>Unlikely-feeling results is what I'm getting at, and it's not like this is some sort of novel hot take. This has been a critique of D&D for decades.</p><p></p><p>The high RNG/swinginess of a d20 roll with low-ish modifiers being the main mechanic produces situations that feel basically silly with a much greater frequency than other games.</p><p></p><p>PtbA is almost a distraction here, I'd note, because a well-DM'd PtbA game with engaged players basically never produces "basically silly" situations, because of the way the resolution works. But D&D's resolution does it all the time.</p><p></p><p>I agree, but it does become an increasingly silly result the more it happens. Especially when the general fictional vibe of the encounter isn't one where that makes a lot of sense, which again is often the case in D&D. Double-especially when it's some highly competent warrior "whiffing" at supposedly easy enemies. There are ways to couch it to minimize the silliness but they are simply not how most people approach the game or describe their actions.</p><p></p><p>Sure, and farce/slapstick is what D&D's unlikely-seeming but common results, particularly with the binary pass/fail mechanic leads to, not character-driven humour. Indeed it can severely undermine character-driven humour.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ruin Explorer, post: 8923969, member: 18"] Maybe extreme is the wrong word, then. Unlikely-feeling results is what I'm getting at, and it's not like this is some sort of novel hot take. This has been a critique of D&D for decades. The high RNG/swinginess of a d20 roll with low-ish modifiers being the main mechanic produces situations that feel basically silly with a much greater frequency than other games. PtbA is almost a distraction here, I'd note, because a well-DM'd PtbA game with engaged players basically never produces "basically silly" situations, because of the way the resolution works. But D&D's resolution does it all the time. I agree, but it does become an increasingly silly result the more it happens. Especially when the general fictional vibe of the encounter isn't one where that makes a lot of sense, which again is often the case in D&D. Double-especially when it's some highly competent warrior "whiffing" at supposedly easy enemies. There are ways to couch it to minimize the silliness but they are simply not how most people approach the game or describe their actions. Sure, and farce/slapstick is what D&D's unlikely-seeming but common results, particularly with the binary pass/fail mechanic leads to, not character-driven humour. Indeed it can severely undermine character-driven humour. [/QUOTE]
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