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General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Judgement calls vs "railroading"
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<blockquote data-quote="Campbell" data-source="post: 7094644" data-attributes="member: 16586"><p>So let's talk about what the texts of 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons has to say about the play experience. </p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Player's Handbook calls the <strong>adventure</strong> the <strong>heart of the game</strong>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The game is divided up between <strong>adventures</strong> and <strong>downtime</strong>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Dungeon Master's Guide calls the DM <strong>the creative force</strong> behind the game and <strong>architect of the campaign</strong>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Dungeon Master's Guide is divided into <strong>Master of Worlds</strong>, <strong>Master of Adventures</strong>, and <strong>Master of Rules</strong>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The adventuring section makes near constant appeals to <strong>the story</strong>. They encourage you to define what the players' goals are for the adventure. They also encourage surprises and <strong>plot twists</strong>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The play style analysis is limited to <strong>hack and slash play</strong> and <strong>immersive storytelling</strong> with any given game fitting on a continuum between the two. There is no meaningful analysis of other ways to play role playing games - not even sandbox games.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The game has a reward structure built around <strong>overcoming challenges</strong> and reaching <strong>adventure milestones</strong>. The alternative is level ups according to the needs of <strong>the story</strong>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Significant portions of the rules are devoted to combat, dungeon exploration, and traversing the wilderness. Most of the spells are heavily biased towards these activities. What little text and mechanisms there is devoted to character exploration assumes fairly static characters we play to rather than find out about.</li> </ul><p></p><p>Relevant Passages are quoted below. Emphasis is mine.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>This is no weak text. I appreciate the call outs to trying to make decisions matter and keeping player interests in mind. I was also pleasantly surprised that the text emphasized the value of the rules far more than most practitioners here. I am actually liking the game as defined by the text far more than I like it as described by most users. However, this is a game that definitely wants to be run in a certain way. <strong>The adventure</strong> and <strong>the story</strong> are primary to the experience. World building is expected. Story advocacy is constant. Following defined objectives is expected and there are consequences when you don't.</p><p></p><p>The game has a much stronger voice than expected. There are no weasel words here.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Campbell, post: 7094644, member: 16586"] So let's talk about what the texts of 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons has to say about the play experience. [LIST] [*]The Player's Handbook calls the [B]adventure[/B] the [B]heart of the game[/B]. [*]The game is divided up between [B]adventures[/B] and [B]downtime[/B]. [*]The Dungeon Master's Guide calls the DM [B]the creative force[/B] behind the game and [B]architect of the campaign[/B]. [*]The Dungeon Master's Guide is divided into [B]Master of Worlds[/B], [B]Master of Adventures[/B], and [B]Master of Rules[/B]. [*]The adventuring section makes near constant appeals to [B]the story[/B]. They encourage you to define what the players' goals are for the adventure. They also encourage surprises and [B]plot twists[/B]. [*]The play style analysis is limited to [B]hack and slash play[/B] and [B]immersive storytelling[/B] with any given game fitting on a continuum between the two. There is no meaningful analysis of other ways to play role playing games - not even sandbox games. [*]The game has a reward structure built around [B]overcoming challenges[/B] and reaching [B]adventure milestones[/B]. The alternative is level ups according to the needs of [B]the story[/B]. [*]Significant portions of the rules are devoted to combat, dungeon exploration, and traversing the wilderness. Most of the spells are heavily biased towards these activities. What little text and mechanisms there is devoted to character exploration assumes fairly static characters we play to rather than find out about. [/LIST] Relevant Passages are quoted below. Emphasis is mine. This is no weak text. I appreciate the call outs to trying to make decisions matter and keeping player interests in mind. I was also pleasantly surprised that the text emphasized the value of the rules far more than most practitioners here. I am actually liking the game as defined by the text far more than I like it as described by most users. However, this is a game that definitely wants to be run in a certain way. [B]The adventure[/B] and [B]the story[/B] are primary to the experience. World building is expected. Story advocacy is constant. Following defined objectives is expected and there are consequences when you don't. The game has a much stronger voice than expected. There are no weasel words here. [/QUOTE]
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