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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6211368" data-attributes="member: 42582">Under the definition of "narrative" that you are working with, I agree. But that is not the only sense of narrative that can be in play, I think. (And this relates to your observation about pacing.)I don't know if you're familiar with HeroWars/Quest, but prior to HQ revised, extended contests in that system were resolved via an "action point" mechanic: action resolution involves bidding AP from a pool, and successes cost the enemy their bid action points (and sometimes could result in transfers of APs to the winner of that exchange), until eventually someone drops to 0 AP and loses the contest.Robin Laws says this about narrating AP bids and AP loss (HeroWars: Roleplayiing in Glorantha, pp 130, 150):Players and narrators [=GMs] are encouraged to describe the action as an onlooker would see it . . . Try to match the bid to the action described. If you describe an all-out offensive . . . you should be bidding high, while if you say that your character is circling his opponent cautiously then a low bid is in order. AP reflect much more than the combatant's physical condition. . . AP also measure a character's emotional state. . . Until the character drops to 0 or fewer AP, any injuries he suffers will be superficial. . . [A]void describing the results of successful blows with the accuracy of a trauma-unit physician until the final consequences are determined.Does this remind you of any other system and it's implications for narration? Of course D&D doesn't have the bidding aspect, though in 4e their are resource-deployment choices that have some resemblance. But the idea of all wounds being superficial, and of description of injuries being treated in a loose and generic way until final consequences are determined, both fit the hp model.Does this undermine narration? It undermines knowledge of the details that would interest a trauma-unit physician! But I think it can support a sense of the emotional and dramatic state of the situation: who is pushing hard, who is being pushed hard, who is on the ropes, who is surging back, etc. That can be an important aspect of narrative, at least for some RPGers (eg me!).EDIT: In case it wasn't clear, I'm agreeing with you that hit points are primarily "I'm still alive" tokens, but that this isn't an independent to a certain approach to narration.</blockquote>

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