D&D 5E Only three pillars?

[Lanefan]

In 1E I would say there was a stronghold pillar in high level play as characters got a keep or church or thieves guild etc to run.

I would also argue that "downtime" was not a traditional pillar in D&D as there originally was a 1:1 correlation between real down time and in-game down time and if you were not playing then your characters were either sleeping in the dungeon or on "downtime" doing nothing except spending gold and healing.

That 1:1 correlation between player and character downtime was something that, I suspect, existed only in Gary Gygax's mind.

I don't know of anyone else who ever used that.

 

[overgeeked]

That 1:1 correlation between player and character downtime was something that, I suspect, existed only in Gary Gygax's mind.

I don't know of anyone else who ever used that.

It was only ever really used when people played what we’d now call West Marches style games. Having 40+ players each forming into groups you’d need to track time differently.

 

[Maxperson]

I still see that stuff as part of play. Agree to disagree.

That's like saying that setting up a board game is playing the game. It's not. It's setting it up so that you can play the game.

Playing D&D starts when the DM starts narrating the first scene(for lack of a better term) of the session and players start responding with what their characters do. Play is not leveling up the PC. Play is not the DM preparing for the game. That stuff is set-up for playing the game.

 

[nevin]

In D&D 5E the three pillars are combat, exploration, and social interaction.

Are there any other pillars to typical D&D-style play? In the old days we had things like domain management, mass combat, and seeking immortality.

Are there other pillars? If so, what are they? What other pillars should get attention?

we didn't have pillars in the old days. It was too new to be that structured. Thus the constant fights with old guys over why or why not we need rules to lock it down. Have fun, was the only pillar back then.

 

[overgeeked]

That's like saying that setting up a board game is playing the game. It's not. It's setting it up so that you can play the game.

Playing D&D starts when the DM starts narrating the first scene(for lack of a better term) of the session and players start responding with what their characters do. Play is not leveling up the PC. Play is not the DM preparing for the game. That stuff is set-up for playing the game.

I think it's the stealth solo mode of D&D play. It's not quite playing, but it's also not quite not playing either.

 

[overgeeked]

we didn't have pillars in the old days. It was too new to be that structured. Thus the constant fights with old guys over why or why not we need rules to lock it down. Have fun, was the only pillar back then.

The thread is about 5E. 5E has pillars. I started in 1984. I'm fully aware there were no demarcated pillars back then.

 

[Micah Sweet]

That's like saying that setting up a board game is playing the game. It's not. It's setting it up so that you can play the game.

Playing D&D starts when the DM starts narrating the first scene(for lack of a better term) of the session and players start responding with what their characters do. Play is not leveling up the PC. Play is not the DM preparing for the game. That stuff is set-up for playing the game.

I'm happy to agree to disagree on this with you as well.

 

[nevin]

never mind I skim too fast sometimes

 

[nevin]

The thread is about 5E. 5E has pillars. I started in 1984. I'm fully aware there were no demarcated pillars back then.

I skimmed too fast and inferred something that wasn't there. my bad.

 

[Lanefan]

we didn't have pillars in the old days. It was too new to be that structured. Thus the constant fights with old guys over why or why not we need rules to lock it down. Have fun, was the only pillar back then.

We hadn't yet labelled the pillars (or modes) but the general concept of there being different types of play that arise at different times during the game has been around forever. That the 5e designers codified, labelled and defined them is IMO a stroke of genius on their part; except that they missed the fourth pillar, that being downtime or non-adventuring activity.