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Message: <blockquote data-quote="n00bdragon" data-source="post: 6131552" data-attributes="member: 6689371">D&D is not a toolbox game by any definition. It has a variety of settings it can be applied to but each version of D&D has a very concrete assumptions of how the world works built into it hard. There has always been an assumption that (and I don't mean to imply that all future editions will or even should assume these things, just that they have always assumed them thus far):- Magic exists and it's easily manipulated through "spells" that can be cast by mortals.- Wizards gain power through scholarly knowledge and can do things like shoot fireballs and stop time, they are also presumed to be physically unimposing characters.- Clerics and priests are "spellcasters" just like wizards are, in fact their game rules for casting spells always mirror those for wizards closely. Their spells tend to more focused on protection, healing, and "buffs" though, seemingly irregardless of what their god might be into. They are always depicted as being more physically imposing than wizards.- Paladins exist and they are what paladins are. D&D invented the modern perception of the word "paladin" out of whole cloth.- Monks exist and are what monks are. D&D invented the monk based on an amalgamation of martial arts movies, but the assumption that wuxia martial artists are an expected part of the otherwise Tolkienesque game is a pure D&D-ism.- The game shall involve not just humans, but also elves, dwarves, halflings, and other races pulled from Tolkien. The near universal presence of these races is assumed and implied in every edition of D&D for no particular reason other than "that's just how D&D rolls".I could go on and on but the fact is that there is an implicit "how the world is organized" in D&D. Whether your game is about pirates or castles or a bizarre puzzle world it's very often assumed that all of the above is there regardless. Compare that to a game like Mutants and Masterminds which has NO implied setting (it has a sample setting but there's a severe difference), only the assumption that your characters are super-powered somethings. I'm not going to suggest that an implied setting is bad though because I can tell you from experience; picking up M&M can be daunting because you have to invent all those world assumptions from whole cloth. Are super heroes common, how do they get their powers, what options should be available to the players. You cannot hand the book to a player and say "Make a 150 point character and show up for the game on Friday."But D&D is not a toolbox. Not by any means.</blockquote>

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