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Supposing D&D is gamist, what does that mean?
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<blockquote data-quote="Staffan" data-source="post: 8621952" data-attributes="member: 907"><p>As I understand the terms:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The main purpose of a gamist mechanic is to provide a fun/balanced/engaging <strong>game</strong>. You may or may not have justifications for them in the narrative, but those are fig leafs. 4e was likely the most gamist version of D&D, with encounter powers, healing surges, splitting magic into combat magic (various class powers) and rituals, and having monster stats unapologetically based on level and role, and the narrative aspect being reverse-engineered from that).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The chief role of a simulationist mechanic is to convert a thing in the game world into mechanical terms. 3e is probably the edition that leaned the farthest in this direction, by detailing things like how monster stats are built (a crocodile has AC 15 because it has Dex +1 and Natural armor +4; which also means it has AC 11 against a touch attack or AC 14 when flatfooted – the croc's CR 2 is in theory the <strong>result</strong> of its AC among other things, not the cause of it), how to price and construct magic items, how long it takes to build an item, and assorted other things. D&D's never been very <strong>good</strong> at being simulationist though, but 3e made a strong attempt.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">And finally, the idea being a narrativist mechanic is to reflect something that happens because it makes for a good story. D&D generally doesn't do these. FATE aspects and associated fate points are a good example: Aspects are statements about a character that are generally true, and players can either call upon them to help at the cost of a fate point, or have the GM suggest that one will cause a problem, in which case the player can gain a fate point to accept or spend a fate point to deny it. This creates a situation where players are rewarded for getting into trouble in a way that gives them resources for future showdowns.</li> </ul><p>D&D has generally posited itself pretty strongly in the gamist section, with more or less simulationism baked in (mostly as justification for the gamist elements, but sometimes working the other way around as with the various combat maneuvers in 3e)..</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Staffan, post: 8621952, member: 907"] As I understand the terms: [LIST] [*]The main purpose of a gamist mechanic is to provide a fun/balanced/engaging [B]game[/B]. You may or may not have justifications for them in the narrative, but those are fig leafs. 4e was likely the most gamist version of D&D, with encounter powers, healing surges, splitting magic into combat magic (various class powers) and rituals, and having monster stats unapologetically based on level and role, and the narrative aspect being reverse-engineered from that). [*]The chief role of a simulationist mechanic is to convert a thing in the game world into mechanical terms. 3e is probably the edition that leaned the farthest in this direction, by detailing things like how monster stats are built (a crocodile has AC 15 because it has Dex +1 and Natural armor +4; which also means it has AC 11 against a touch attack or AC 14 when flatfooted – the croc's CR 2 is in theory the [B]result[/B] of its AC among other things, not the cause of it), how to price and construct magic items, how long it takes to build an item, and assorted other things. D&D's never been very [B]good[/B] at being simulationist though, but 3e made a strong attempt. [*]And finally, the idea being a narrativist mechanic is to reflect something that happens because it makes for a good story. D&D generally doesn't do these. FATE aspects and associated fate points are a good example: Aspects are statements about a character that are generally true, and players can either call upon them to help at the cost of a fate point, or have the GM suggest that one will cause a problem, in which case the player can gain a fate point to accept or spend a fate point to deny it. This creates a situation where players are rewarded for getting into trouble in a way that gives them resources for future showdowns. [/LIST] D&D has generally posited itself pretty strongly in the gamist section, with more or less simulationism baked in (mostly as justification for the gamist elements, but sometimes working the other way around as with the various combat maneuvers in 3e).. [/QUOTE]
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Supposing D&D is gamist, what does that mean?
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