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<blockquote data-quote="generic" data-source="post: 8160085" data-attributes="member: 6923088">From the earliest days of my career as a DM, I've always strived for a sense of immersion through simulation.&nbsp; In each of my games, I wanted the story to feel real, not explicitly &quot;gamey&quot;, or mechanically precise.&nbsp; I made dozens of subsystems to simulate injury, told stories from the perspective of what the characters would know, and, for a time, I enjoyed that.But, then, I started to think back on the games (often, the video games) which truly engaged me in their stories.&nbsp; In many of these games, the player was allowed to know, in a purely mechanical sense, what the hell was going on.&nbsp; There's a reason the best games have boss battles with huge health bars at the top of your screen.&nbsp; The anticipation you feel while watching that bar drain out, and seeing the Boss shed its layers, is indescribably exhilarating.So, I decided to dip my toes into the waters of letting D&amp;D be a game, rather than a purely immersive experience.&nbsp; It started by having the BBEG's health tick down, through Roll20, right on the screen.&nbsp; The players strategized, and waited until the boss had been weakened significantly to unleash the final, most risky, blow.&nbsp; I then tried adding the kind of visual or audible indicators which games often have, but, this time, very explicitly.&nbsp; I'd say &quot;resist&quot; or &quot;weakness&quot; when certain types of damage were dealt, and the information would be noted on-screen.&nbsp; Eventually, I did away with most of the subtlety altogether, letting the players look over the BBEG's stats and gnaw their fingernails in anticipation. Immersion doesn't always lead to fun, and, sometimes, being able to see what you're up against is half the enjoyment anyway.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="generic, post: 8160085, member: 6923088"] From the earliest days of my career as a DM, I've always strived for a sense of immersion through simulation. In each of my games, I wanted the story to feel real, not explicitly "gamey", or mechanically precise. I made dozens of subsystems to simulate injury, told stories from the perspective of what the characters would know, and, for a time, I enjoyed that. But, then, I started to think back on the games (often, the video games) which truly engaged me in their stories. In many of these games, the player was allowed to know, in a purely mechanical sense, what the hell was going on. There's a reason the best games have boss battles with huge health bars at the top of your screen. The anticipation you feel while watching that bar drain out, and seeing the Boss shed its layers, is indescribably exhilarating. So, I decided to dip my toes into the waters of letting D&D be a game, rather than a purely immersive experience. It started by having the BBEG's health tick down, through Roll20, right on the screen. The players strategized, and waited until the boss had been weakened significantly to unleash the final, most risky, blow. I then tried adding the kind of visual or audible indicators which games often have, but, this time, very explicitly. I'd say "resist" or "weakness" when certain types of damage were dealt, and the information would be noted on-screen. Eventually, I did away with most of the subtlety altogether, letting the players look over the BBEG's stats and gnaw their fingernails in anticipation. Immersion doesn't always lead to fun, and, sometimes, being able to see what you're up against is half the enjoyment anyway. [/QUOTE]

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