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<blockquote data-quote="Pentius" data-source="post: 5634188" data-attributes="member: 6676736">My knee jerk response was &quot;No, because I don;t want to get crap for loving combat.&quot;&nbsp; I will explore this in the later parts of this post.&nbsp; My second thought was &quot;kinda, yeah.&nbsp; D&amp;D is about stories.&nbsp; Stories are about conflict.&nbsp; Conflict in D&amp;D is primarily resolved via combat.&nbsp; SO kinda, yeah.&quot;In what may be my most confrontational statement on ENworld, I want that view to die.&nbsp; Let me explain.I've been a fan of D&amp;D since I could reach the third shelf and thus, my father's AD&amp;D books(nearly two decades, now,&nbsp; That's since I was 3).&nbsp; I &quot;played&quot; it for many years on the playground, not playing anything recognizable as any edition of D&amp;D, but still getting my friends together during recess to slay Tiamat with our sticks and magicky sound effects.&nbsp; So I don't consider myself a newbie.&nbsp; I've been playing things recognizable as D&amp;D since I was able to get a group together, about 7 years ago, now(just hit my anniversary last month.&nbsp; Yes, I keep track).&nbsp; I've played 1e, 3.5, and 4e(I skipped 2e).&nbsp; I've also played a number of other systems.&nbsp; If there is one thing, throughout the entirety of my time in the hobby that has been a thorn in my side, it is the notion of &quot;Good Roleplaying&quot;.&nbsp; I'll clarify more.&nbsp; The notion itself may or may not be innocent.&nbsp; But I've moved oh, half a dozen times in the last few years(school, work, family, it's a moving-ish kind of era in my life), and every time, one of my first concerns, after having a roof over my head, is to find a gaming group.&nbsp;&nbsp; Several times now, I've met someone promising, and joined their group.&nbsp; I'll make a character, and come to the first session.&nbsp; &quot;Let me see your sheet.&quot; the Dm says.&quot;But of course.&quot; I reply, handing it over.&nbsp; As the Dm begins to read, I look to the other players, &quot;I'm going to play a Monk.&quot; I'll say, by way of example, &quot;He's an honorable man who's been exiled on account of-&quot;&quot;Ugh.&quot; the Dm interrupts.&nbsp; &quot;He has a 20 as his primary stat.&quot; the group looks at me, some with accusation in their eyes, some with pity.&nbsp; &quot;Kyle, I was really hoping you'd be a roleplayer, not another damned power-gamer.&quot;And that is when I go over my options.&nbsp; Are there other groups in town?&nbsp; If so, I can just leave.&nbsp; If not, I have to carefully explain to these people, with a very high chance of failure, that being able to create a mechanically competent, even mechanically brilliant character does not involve putting a spike through the part of my brain that creates a well-developed, well-roleplayed character.I'd gladly take up a pair of scissors and a bonfire if I could cut out and burn every notion in the roleplaying community that knowing, understanding, and using the mechanics of the game does not automatically make a person a bad roleplayer.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Pentius, post: 5634188, member: 6676736"] My knee jerk response was "No, because I don;t want to get crap for loving combat." I will explore this in the later parts of this post. My second thought was "kinda, yeah. D&D is about stories. Stories are about conflict. Conflict in D&D is primarily resolved via combat. SO kinda, yeah." In what may be my most confrontational statement on ENworld, I want that view to die. Let me explain. I've been a fan of D&D since I could reach the third shelf and thus, my father's AD&D books(nearly two decades, now, That's since I was 3). I "played" it for many years on the playground, not playing anything recognizable as any edition of D&D, but still getting my friends together during recess to slay Tiamat with our sticks and magicky sound effects. So I don't consider myself a newbie. I've been playing things recognizable as D&D since I was able to get a group together, about 7 years ago, now(just hit my anniversary last month. Yes, I keep track). I've played 1e, 3.5, and 4e(I skipped 2e). I've also played a number of other systems. If there is one thing, throughout the entirety of my time in the hobby that has been a thorn in my side, it is the notion of "Good Roleplaying". I'll clarify more. The notion itself may or may not be innocent. But I've moved oh, half a dozen times in the last few years(school, work, family, it's a moving-ish kind of era in my life), and every time, one of my first concerns, after having a roof over my head, is to find a gaming group. Several times now, I've met someone promising, and joined their group. I'll make a character, and come to the first session. "Let me see your sheet." the Dm says. "But of course." I reply, handing it over. As the Dm begins to read, I look to the other players, "I'm going to play a Monk." I'll say, by way of example, "He's an honorable man who's been exiled on account of-" "Ugh." the Dm interrupts. "He has a 20 as his primary stat." the group looks at me, some with accusation in their eyes, some with pity. "Kyle, I was really hoping you'd be a roleplayer, not another damned power-gamer." And that is when I go over my options. Are there other groups in town? If so, I can just leave. If not, I have to carefully explain to these people, with a very high chance of failure, that being able to create a mechanically competent, even mechanically brilliant character does not involve putting a spike through the part of my brain that creates a well-developed, well-roleplayed character. I'd gladly take up a pair of scissors and a bonfire if I could cut out and burn every notion in the roleplaying community that knowing, understanding, and using the mechanics of the game does not automatically make a person a bad roleplayer. [/QUOTE]

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