D&D General The Fourth Pillar of D&D…shenanigans

[overgeeked]

This is a great video by Ben at Questing Beast about everyone’s (second) favorite pillar of D&D...the shenanigans pillar. I feel that one.

 

[Yora]

It's basically interactivity and proactivity. Two things that have rarely been really considered or adressed in D&D books in the last 40 years or so, and become something of a forgotten art.

 

[Baldurs_Underdark]

Ooh, Shenanigans can itself be split into so many parts!

Player(s) vs. DM shenanigans: Let's see if the DM is prepared for... this!
Player(s) vs. player(s) shenanigans: you can always draw a moustache on your friend's face.
Player(s) vs. the fantasy world: We saved the princess, but guess what, we're chaotic neutral.
Player(s) vs. the pub menu: Let's try all the drinks on the menu, fail a con save, puke, roll on a random table and wake up somewhere.

But the most important one:

DM vs. the Player(s): Where shenanigans turn into main storyline!!

 

[Umbran]

Shenanigans are part of the Exploration pillar.

In exploring you're finding out stuff about the world the characters are in. As in, "screw around and find out."

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Shenanigans are part of the Exploration pillar.

In exploring you're finding out stuff about the world the characters are in. As in, "screw around and find out."

I thought it was social becuse it was how much bs you could talk... but I can see that

 

[darjr]

Such a good channel. Cost me lots o money though, Dangit!

He nails it too.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Shenanigans (along with table interactions, storytelling, and improv) are far and away my favorite part of the game, because my enthusiasm is for the parts I couldn't get with far less overhead if I just played a computer game.

And yes, a computer game could be designed to anticipate things that seem like shenanigans (in fact many old graphic adventures had a nasty habit of mandating shenanigan-like behavior in inscrutible moon-logic puzzles), but it's the fact that the game hasn't specifically anticipated the thing you are doing that makes it shenanigans and makes shenanigans exciting and fun.

 

[overgeeked]

Ooh, Shenanigans can itself be split into so many parts!

Player(s) vs. DM shenanigans: Let's see if the DM is prepared for... this!
Player(s) vs. player(s) shenanigans: you can always draw a moustache on your friend's face.
Player(s) vs. the fantasy world: We saved the princess, but guess what, we're chaotic neutral.
Player(s) vs. the pub menu: Let's try all the drinks on the menu, fail a con save, puke, roll on a random table and wake up somewhere.

But the most important one:

DM vs. the Player(s): Where shenanigans turn into main storyline!!

I disagree that it’s one “vs” the other. There’s no need for shenanigans to be antagonistic. It’s fully compatible with cooperative play. The goal is emergent story, not fighting each other to control the story.

 

[overgeeked]

I thought it was social becuse it was how much bs you could talk... but I can see that

It can also be part of the combat pillar. Every time the characters or NPCs do something that’s unexpected or not covered by the rules…that’s shenanigans.

 

[darjr]

When a big pizza pie hits a Dragon in its eye! That’s shenanigans!