D&D 5E Randomness and D&D

[prabe]

Just like there's no drama when you win all the time, there's also no drama when you think the outcome of every decision is an utter crap shoot unless you're a rogue or a bard. Then it's a slightly better crap shoot.

In the 194 sessions of 5e I've run across two campaigns, I haven't found things to be total crapshoots, even in the party with neither a rogue nor a bard. Just an example of how experiences will vary.

 

[Lanefan]

Great post.

I think part of the issue for a lot of folks who find the d20 too swingy is that they want D&D to be more of a reality simulator than it is presently intended to be.

Odd - I'm something of a simulationist but I still want it to be swingy.

But the rules for D&D are not written or intended for that purpose. The rolling systems are meant to be used in dramatically appropriate moments. When the outcome is uncertain, as you say. When there are consequences for failure. This is not a mechanic intended to be used to, say, simulate a Chess Grandmaster playing against a newbie. That's not within its remit. Not part of what the design is intended to cover.

GMs calling for rolls in mundane situations for trivial tasks are simply misusing the rules.

This assumes the rules are perfect as written (hint: they're not). If they can't simulate a chess grandmaster playing a newbie it's well within the DM's rights to tweak the system such that they can.

 

[Mannahnin]

This assumes the rules are perfect as written (hint: they're not). If they can't simulate a chess grandmaster playing a newbie it's well within the DM's rights to tweak the system such that they can.

Ah, no. Lanefan, are you mistaking me for Gary Gygax?

Certainly nothing I wrote there implies that the rules are perfect. I wrote that they're not written or intended to be a reality simulator*. If you want them to be, yes, you're going to have to change and add a great deal to them.

And yes, obviously, if your game has a situation where a Chess newbie and Grandmaster are going to play for meaningful stakes and you want a chance for the newbie to win (but not as high a chance as in the default 5E rules), you'll have to tweak and expand the rules to accommodate that situation. A series of contested rolls, for example.

(*part of what makes 1E challenging to understand and run well is that Gary conflicted with himself a great deal in writing it. In most places being quite clear that it wasn't intended to be a simulator, but in other places clearly trying to, like the helmet rules).