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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 9150479" data-attributes="member: 58197">To the (valid) distinction that OP is drawing between realism and verisimilitude, I would add a second: True verisimilitude vs. "stage verisimilitude." I believe that D&D aims for the latter, and that this is the most workable solution to the challenges involved.True verisimilitude is where you try to make the imaginary world internally consistent to such a depth that no contradictions can be found. That is of course an unattainable ideal -- even Tolkien, who was extraordinarily rigorous and careful, screwed up a few details here and there* -- but the best fantasy writers usually strive to get as close as possible.For an RPG, however, true verisimilitude would require either a) a rulebook like an encyclopedia, or b) putting an overwhelming burden on the GM to fill in the blanks. What we have in D&D is stage verisimilitude. When you're watching a play, the set is not usually designed to look real -- it is designed to suggest reality, while not distracting you from the actors and their lines. D&D rules are the same way.Take hit points, that most ancient scourge of simulationism. The hit point rules fail hard as true verisimilitude; but they work as stage verisimilitude. Something hits you, you lose hit points. Something heals you, you get them back. You lose too many, you die. It suggests reality, and because the rule is super simple and intuitive, it doesn't distract players from the action of the adventure.*However, since I've seen this pop up repeatedly in various contexts, I'll note that "How did Sauron feed his armies if Mordor is a wasteland?" is not one of those details. Frodo and Sam only ever see the volcanic northern part of Mordor; the south is a fertile "breadbasket" that feeds the rest of the realm.</blockquote>

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