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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ExploderWizard" data-source="post: 5456170" data-attributes="member: 66434">Every edition of D&D can be approached and played as a tabletop skirmish game. The opportunity to roleplay is what sets it apart from being just a tactical combat game. Roleplaying opportunity exists for the enjoyment of the players. If the players do not enjoy it, then don't do it.   Yes. Otherwise why waste time with an rpg. Play a combat game, get more "meat" and do away with unnecessary character stuff.  Not quite. OD&D, BD&D, and AD&D were all about the treasure. Aquire it by any means possible. Avoiding combat was often a faster route to success. Roleplaying, as with any edition, was still purely optional.   For purposes of being all about the combat, I wouldn't single out 4E more than 3E. 4E actually has more to offer in the way of non-combat XP gain than 3E does. Both systems are fairly heavy on combat focus though.  "The encounter" mode of play is a separate issue from combat as an encounter may be a skill challenge or puzzle as well as combat. I think the encounter format does more to downplay roleplaying than any amount of combat. The encounter format divides play into "active" and "passive" mode. Much like a video game the encounters are the part of the game where the player can use the controller and have his guy "do stuff". In a tabletop game this means declare actions and roll lots of dice. The non-encounter mode of play is more like a movie interlude. The player watches the story unfold in a "roleplaying" scene. This is the time to yawn, go get a drink, use the bathroom, etc until the next encounter when the player can " do stuff" again. The impression given is that players can only impact the game world during "encounters" so that is the only time deemed worthy of mentally showing up for.  Since a great deal of roleplaying takes place outside of the encounter it is often glossed over because it has no perceived impact upon the game. After all, the way the rules are written if you are not rolling dice then nothing of consequence is taking place.</blockquote>

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