NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kannik" data-source="post: 8569156" data-attributes="member: 984">I had really hoped that Morrus’ question wouldn’t have led us to here, that we had moved beyond this, but here we are. Posts stating that modern characters ‘superheroes’ for players who cannot handle a ‘challenge’ or ‘adversity’ and instead want to ‘hide from it’ and ‘gimme what I want now’. Also that the game changing to ‘cater’ to player choice is “unfathomable”.There’s a huge false dichotomy going on here. A game is not only able to exist either as a total random grinder-fest or as an auto-success cakewalk. There is a gradient. You can use point array and choose your character class and have a backstory and not expect to die at first level due to a poor roll and still have the game be plenty challenging. And can have it be challenging on many levels, including due to mechanics, luck, tactics, obstacles, the world, and – never should it be forgotten as this is an RPG – the character themselves and all that entails: personal obstacles, crisis of faiths, overcoming, drama, and etc.Again, I got my start in 1e. I cut my teeth on Tomb, Expedition, Slavers, Giants, Desert, Ravenloft, and so much homebrew and isolated modules. Even back then there was no one way the game was played. Even within the same group of players we could and would enjoy different playstyles depending on who was running and/or the tone and theme of the campaign. We ran games 35+ years ago that would, it would appear to me, drive some on this thread to distraction and upset.Has the game shifted from strictness and an unforgiving base to something more middle path? At least as what is presented in the PHB (as the DMG or UA et al already had dials) one might argue yes. It’s a broader starting point. But what of it? I would invite that just because you cannot see how the game can be challenging without using the dice and harsh outcomes does not mean that it is not possible and that others have not been able to craft that kind of playstyle.At the same time, I would doubly invite to consider that when some groups do indeed play with a low challenge level and/or place their emphasis on other aspects of the game or of the play experience, it does not automatically mean that they are not playing the game or are somehow lesser.I have no problem sharing what you enjoy and see as available in playing in a particular playstyle and even encouraging others to give it a try – again, I’ve played in so many styles and can easily see how each provides opportunities in different ways! It might even be great to have those dials even further explored and supported within the DMG. But when it turns to denigrating or dismissive language then it’s not about sharing anymore. It’s not about enticing. It’s about something else that only harms the hobby.</blockquote>

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