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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 6103217" data-attributes="member: 82106">Except of course there is no such "two general forces". There are many reasons to design games in different ways, the two agendas you mention are very far from being the whole story. What you call 'naturalism' (basically GNS simulationist agenda) is a rather narrow and limited thing by itself. You have to immediately acknowledge that in addition to portraying something with some relation to reality that D&D's mechanics are also designed to be GAMIST. That is they have the agenda to be a fun game, and a practical game which can actually be played. Gygax states this right up front, and in fact in no uncertain terms says that in his opinion D&D's primary agenda is gamist. He cites the highly abstract nature of the AD&D combat system as his example, and even talks about hit points starting from a gamist point of view (else his discussion would quickly conclude that hit points should remain much lower). The only agenda that Gary doesn't even acknowledge at all is the narrativist or story-telling agenda, which was I think not largely understood in the late 70's and has only crept into D&D with 4e.Thus we can easily conclude that Martial Healing easily serves the gamist agenda. I don't understand your assertion that it dis-serves the simulationist agenda as it has been amply shown that this is not particularly the case. Clearly having more than one way to make a healer serves story telling, at least at a high level. I'd just like to say about the 'traditionalist' agenda, meh. Games are not rituals, they are forms of entertainment. You wouldn't watch the same movie 1000's of times, nor play only one type of music. There's no reason to fix what ain't broke, surely, but if it ain't broke, then why are you planning on buying a new set of D&D rules? Any appeal to traditionalism can be met with "just keep doing what you're doing". Insisting that everyone ELSE has to keep doing it too isn't traditionalism, its being bossy! Likewise we can criticize change for its own sake of course.</blockquote>

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