Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Jester David" data-source="post: 7519075" data-attributes="member: 37579">I didn't say mechanics are irrelevant. Just that the best moments don't come exclusively from the mechanics. Or rather, the mechanics working as intended. * The rules of the game and the system allow for fun between the moments of exceptional fun. Because you can't plan for the memorable/ exceptional.* The rules provide a framework that sets-up the exceptional or unusual moments that become memorable. Often when a system breaks or does the unexpected, that's when the memorable occurs. * The rules provide a randomisation element. The exact random element at the wrong time causes maximum memorability. Such as a chain of crits or fumbles. You don't remember the combat where everyone rolled average and things proceeded like clockwork with no surprises, and everyone took an expected amount of damage while expending the nominal amount of resources. The textbook fight where the rules are all working seamlessly and as intended. It may be fun at the time, but you won't remember the details in a week or a month, let along ten years. But you remember the fight where you rolled nothing lower than a 17 for six rounds including double or triple 20s, and the party devastated a high level monster. Or the fight against the goblin with 2hp left that survived against the entire party for three rounds because everyone kept wiffing. Let's face it, the AD&amp;D system isn't that good. Playing it by-the-book wasn't always fun. (Did anyone follow all the rules?) Especially compared to the tight clockwork that is 4e. And yet the gonzo randomness of 1e and unpredictability of 1e caused so many memorable encounters and moments and stories.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Jester David, post: 7519075, member: 37579"] I didn't say mechanics are irrelevant. Just that the best moments don't come [I]exclusively[/I] from the mechanics. Or rather, the mechanics working as intended. * The rules of the game and the system allow for fun between the moments of exceptional fun. Because you can't plan for the memorable/ exceptional. * The rules provide a framework that sets-up the exceptional or unusual moments that become memorable. Often when a system breaks or does the unexpected, that's when the memorable occurs. * The rules provide a randomisation element. The exact random element at the wrong time causes maximum memorability. Such as a chain of crits or fumbles. You don't remember the combat where everyone rolled average and things proceeded like clockwork with no surprises, and everyone took an expected amount of damage while expending the nominal amount of resources. The textbook fight where the rules are all working seamlessly and as intended. It may be fun at the time, but you won't remember the details in a week or a month, let along ten years. But you remember the fight where you rolled nothing lower than a 17 for six rounds including double or triple 20s, and the party devastated a high level monster. Or the fight against the goblin with 2hp left that survived against the entire party for three rounds because everyone kept wiffing. Let's face it, the AD&D system isn't that good. Playing it by-the-book wasn't always fun. (Did anyone follow [I]all [/I]the rules?) Especially compared to the tight clockwork that is 4e. And yet the gonzo randomness of 1e and unpredictability of 1e caused so many memorable encounters and moments and stories. [/QUOTE]

Verification