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<blockquote data-quote="loverdrive" data-source="post: 8967128" data-attributes="member: 7027139">Regardless of my very low opinion on 5e, it still is a roleplaying game and......the way I see it, combat in 5e (or any other game with a dedicated combat sub-system) is just an extended resolution mechanic. &quot;Disarming a trap is resolved by rolling dice&quot; isn't any less detached from what actually happens in the gameworld than &quot;a violent confrontation is resolved by a game of chess&quot;.I don't like term &quot;immersion&quot; in general, mostly because I profoundly don't understand it. When someone describes what immersion is, I always have to wonder: &quot;isn't this just... enjoying the game?&quot;.Seeing your mate wearing his anime T-shirt instead of the Dark Lord of Dark Darkness, I think, does more to break the illusion that you are &quot;there&quot; than any mechanic possibly could, so there's must be something else. I think immersion is a state, where you are invested in the game and the characters, where you really enjoy yourself. If that enjoyment is low, then yeah, anything can break it. If it's high...To use a videogame example: JRPGs normally don't even try to pretend that two parties actually stand around, not moving, and swing their swords at the air in front of them, somehow dealing damage to the enemies. Yet it doesn't stop people from being immersed in Final Fantasy.And the opposite is true too: it becomes easier to care about the characters and the game world, become immersed in it, if the gameplay is fun and you get to the next beat of the &quot;story stuff&quot; with excitement, not mumbling &quot;FINALLY! It's over!&quot; under your breath.So.The way I see it, mechanics should be engaging and convey the &quot;vibe&quot; more than they convey what the characters actually see. My latest game, <a href="https://loverdrive.itch.io/swashbuckling" target="_blank">Swashbuckling!</a>, uses witty insults to resolve situations. The character in the game world doesn't actually shake her fist at the sky, telling the fate itself that it fights like a dairy farmer, the same way a rogue doesn't actually pull out dice to see whether she could pick a lock or not.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="loverdrive, post: 8967128, member: 7027139"] Regardless of my very low opinion on 5e, it still is a roleplaying game and... ...the way I see it, combat in 5e (or any other game with a dedicated combat sub-system) is just an extended resolution mechanic. "Disarming a trap is resolved by rolling dice" isn't any less detached from what actually happens in the gameworld than "a violent confrontation is resolved by a game of chess". I don't like term "immersion" in general, mostly because I profoundly don't understand it. When someone describes what immersion is, I always have to wonder: "isn't this just... enjoying the game?". Seeing your mate wearing his anime T-shirt instead of the Dark Lord of Dark Darkness, I think, does more to break the illusion that you are "there" than any mechanic possibly could, so there's must be something else. I think immersion is a state, where you are invested in the game and the characters, where you really enjoy yourself. If that enjoyment is low, then yeah, anything can break it. If it's high... To use a videogame example: JRPGs normally don't even try to pretend that two parties [I]actually[/I] stand around, not moving, and swing their swords at the air in front of them, somehow dealing damage to the enemies. Yet it doesn't stop people from being immersed in Final Fantasy. And the opposite is true too: it becomes easier to care about the characters and the game world, become immersed in it, if the gameplay is fun and you get to the next beat of the "story stuff" with excitement, not mumbling "FINALLY! It's over!" under your breath. So. The way I see it, mechanics should be engaging and convey the "vibe" more than they convey what the characters actually see. My latest game, [URL='https://loverdrive.itch.io/swashbuckling']Swashbuckling![/URL], uses witty insults to resolve situations. The character in the game world doesn't actually shake her fist at the sky, telling the fate itself that it fights like a dairy farmer, the same way a rogue doesn't actually pull out dice to see whether she could pick a lock or not. [/QUOTE]

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