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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 5581194" data-attributes="member: 4937">Because they are games.&nbsp; The very first modules probably didn't look exactly like the classic ones.&nbsp; The classic ones had evolved to be good games, and as such they had features that differed from that of good stories.One of the most important differences being that the protagonists aren't under the control of the author.&nbsp; In the literature that inspires D&amp;D, the author favors the protagonist and insures that whatever happens and no matter how unlikely this outcome is the protagonist wins.&nbsp;&nbsp; Obviously, this doesn't make for a very good game, and Gygax disparages game authors who take that stance.&nbsp; Instead, in the game the author is in a certain sense the antagonist of the protagonists.&nbsp;&nbsp; And as such, if the protagonists are to win through the obstacles presented by the story, they are going to have to rely on something more than the extraordinary luck typically granted to literary heroes.That isn't to say that the game doesn't also grant the protagonists extraordinary luck and capacity - that's what hit points and the like are for - but rather that if the game isn't rigged in your favor such that you can't lose, then you are going to have to rely on something more than just your hit points. In that sense, game heroes tend to be much much more compotent than literary heroes.&nbsp;&nbsp; Which is why gamers watch a movie and go, &quot;What an idiot.&nbsp; Real PC's would never fall for that trap!&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 5581194, member: 4937"] Because they are games. The very first modules probably didn't look exactly like the classic ones. The classic ones had evolved to be good games, and as such they had features that differed from that of good stories. One of the most important differences being that the protagonists aren't under the control of the author. In the literature that inspires D&D, the author favors the protagonist and insures that whatever happens and no matter how unlikely this outcome is the protagonist wins. Obviously, this doesn't make for a very good game, and Gygax disparages game authors who take that stance. Instead, in the game the author is in a certain sense the antagonist of the protagonists. And as such, if the protagonists are to win through the obstacles presented by the story, they are going to have to rely on something more than the extraordinary luck typically granted to literary heroes. That isn't to say that the game doesn't also grant the protagonists extraordinary luck and capacity - that's what hit points and the like are for - but rather that if the game isn't rigged in your favor such that you can't lose, then you are going to have to rely on something more than just your hit points. In that sense, game heroes tend to be much much more compotent than literary heroes. Which is why gamers watch a movie and go, "What an idiot. Real PC's would never fall for that trap!" [/QUOTE]

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