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Not a Conspiracy Theory: Moving Toward Better Criticism in RPGs
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<blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 8938421" data-attributes="member: 6785785"><p>But thinking of the goal of an attack is to deal damage is a pure D&Dism. This is my point.</p><p></p><p>The character is not thinking "I want to take away some of this beastie's hit points", the character wants to eliminate an enemy.</p><p></p><p>The whole structure of Hit Points and Damage rolls is a system that is similar to a series of partial successes.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Right, this is my point. Compare it to systems where it can happen more frequently, and the impact that HP and damage rolls have on play... and then how that impact becomes baked into the way discussion happens.</p><p></p><p>All I'm saying is that partial successes shouldn't be as alien to trad players as we may think because they happen all the time... we just don't tend to think of them that way because the system that causes it is simply accepted as "truth". The system makes us think "I can't kill this guy in one shot, I can only do some damage". </p><p></p><p>Partial success isn't thought of in this way because it's not cited as such. But it's baked into the system. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>It's not semantic nonsense. It's just a reframing of how we look at hit points and how they color our perception of what's happening in play. And then how that perception can carry over into discussions about RPGs in general.</p><p></p><p>Of course it's possible to kill creatures in one hit. It's less common than not doing so, but depending on level and hit dice, you certainly can expect it at times.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>They're both RPG systems. We can certainly compare them. I'm not saying they are the same. I'm saying they both involve situations where partial success is achieved. They don't do this in the same way, certainly. I'm not saying that.</p><p></p><p>I'm trying to offer a take that maybe helps bridge the gap a bit. It needn't be as hard an adjustment as many seem to think it must be.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hawkeyefan, post: 8938421, member: 6785785"] But thinking of the goal of an attack is to deal damage is a pure D&Dism. This is my point. The character is not thinking "I want to take away some of this beastie's hit points", the character wants to eliminate an enemy. The whole structure of Hit Points and Damage rolls is a system that is similar to a series of partial successes. Right, this is my point. Compare it to systems where it can happen more frequently, and the impact that HP and damage rolls have on play... and then how that impact becomes baked into the way discussion happens. All I'm saying is that partial successes shouldn't be as alien to trad players as we may think because they happen all the time... we just don't tend to think of them that way because the system that causes it is simply accepted as "truth". The system makes us think "I can't kill this guy in one shot, I can only do some damage". Partial success isn't thought of in this way because it's not cited as such. But it's baked into the system. It's not semantic nonsense. It's just a reframing of how we look at hit points and how they color our perception of what's happening in play. And then how that perception can carry over into discussions about RPGs in general. Of course it's possible to kill creatures in one hit. It's less common than not doing so, but depending on level and hit dice, you certainly can expect it at times. They're both RPG systems. We can certainly compare them. I'm not saying they are the same. I'm saying they both involve situations where partial success is achieved. They don't do this in the same way, certainly. I'm not saying that. I'm trying to offer a take that maybe helps bridge the gap a bit. It needn't be as hard an adjustment as many seem to think it must be. [/QUOTE]
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