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Some things I don't care for in the D&D culture
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<blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 6651923" data-attributes="member: 97077"><p>Game balance is important in competitive board games so that one player doesn't have an advantage of another. It is not as important in an RPG where the goal is to have fun together and create an exciting, memorable story. What matters is spotlight - the ability for everyone to contribute more or less equally to these goals. The rules can help with this and do, but it's chiefly a matter of table management and shared expectations.</p><p></p><p>"Realism" in a fantasy game like D&D 5e is only as important as a particular group agrees it is. Typically, people in my experience just want things to be <em>consistent</em> so they can make decisions based on how they understand things to work in the setting, and realism isn't much of a concern. Sometimes you'll get into games with players and DMs who use "realism" as a means of control and an excuse to shut down the ideas of other people. If that's a thing you don't like (I <em>hate</em> it), it's easy enough to game with people who aren't like that. I've actually had a lot of success breaking people of this urge by introducing them to improvisational techniques ("Yes, and...", no blocking, etc.) which make games run a lot smoother.</p><p></p><p>As for character builds, in my experience, most people are more interested in choosing options that reflect the fictional concept they have in mind than eking out the highest mechanical advantage. For some, optimization is quite fun even if it's purely theoretical. I think it's a good idea for players to realize that in D&D it's important to balance the urge to optimize with the goals of play: having a good time together and creating an exciting, memorable story. The most optimal build or optimal choice isn't necessarily enough to achieve those goals.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="iserith, post: 6651923, member: 97077"] Game balance is important in competitive board games so that one player doesn't have an advantage of another. It is not as important in an RPG where the goal is to have fun together and create an exciting, memorable story. What matters is spotlight - the ability for everyone to contribute more or less equally to these goals. The rules can help with this and do, but it's chiefly a matter of table management and shared expectations. "Realism" in a fantasy game like D&D 5e is only as important as a particular group agrees it is. Typically, people in my experience just want things to be [I]consistent[/I] so they can make decisions based on how they understand things to work in the setting, and realism isn't much of a concern. Sometimes you'll get into games with players and DMs who use "realism" as a means of control and an excuse to shut down the ideas of other people. If that's a thing you don't like (I [I]hate[/I] it), it's easy enough to game with people who aren't like that. I've actually had a lot of success breaking people of this urge by introducing them to improvisational techniques ("Yes, and...", no blocking, etc.) which make games run a lot smoother. As for character builds, in my experience, most people are more interested in choosing options that reflect the fictional concept they have in mind than eking out the highest mechanical advantage. For some, optimization is quite fun even if it's purely theoretical. I think it's a good idea for players to realize that in D&D it's important to balance the urge to optimize with the goals of play: having a good time together and creating an exciting, memorable story. The most optimal build or optimal choice isn't necessarily enough to achieve those goals. [/QUOTE]
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