What is a "Narrative Mechanic"?

Another narrative mechanic in many games, including D&D, would be anytime an extended test is required:

Example: You are navigating the forest to find a lost child. Time is of the essence. You must make 2 of 3 rolls to succeed. What skills are you going to use and narrate how those skills will be useful in your goal.
 

log in or register to remove this ad

Micah Sweet

Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
I can't argue with that. We all have our fantasy flavor preferences.
I'm going to lay it on the line here, and I don't care how popular my opinion is. I want D&D to be playable as much like I prefer as possible. For me, that's the various, but closely related ways TSR did it. The way WotC has radically changed the game multiple times over their stewardship annoys me. During 3e, 3.5, and early 5e I could still mostly do this, because even if the rules were different the philosophy was similar enough that I could make it work. In the last few years WotC has changed why they make D&D in an way too obvious for me to ignore, and that's why I've rejected the company (if not the game as other companies have expressed it).
 

Micah Sweet

Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
Another narrative mechanic in many games, including D&D, would be anytime an extended test is required:

Example: You are navigating the forest to find a lost child. Time is of the essence. You must make 2 of 3 rolls to succeed. What skills are you going to use and narrate how those skills will be useful in your goal.
One could argue that's an abstraction rather than a narrative mechanic, since it's still based on actions the PCs are taking.
 

Mannahnin

Scion of Murgen (He/Him)
I'm going to lay it on the line here, and I don't care how popular my opinion is. I want D&D to be playable as much like I prefer as possible. For me, that's the various, but closely related ways TSR did it. The way WotC has radically changed the game multiple times over their stewardship annoys me. During 3e, 3.5, and early 5e I could still mostly do this, because even if the rules were different the philosophy was similar enough that I could make it work. In the last few years WotC has changed why they make D&D in an way too obvious for me to ignore, and that's why I've rejected the company (if not the game as other companies have expressed it).
I would offer an alternate take, though probably not a positive one for you. They haven't changed why they make the game- they do that to make money and to provide an RPG product which a maximal number of players will use and enjoy.

3rd ed was driven by a lot of the same play concepts as AD&D, but taken to a greater extreme. Rationalize and systematize and regularize even further. Adding skills and feats was a way to rationalize and systematize things that had to rely on GM fiat before. The "non-game" components as Gary might have called them, had he looked at AD&D with the same critical gaze he once applied to OD&D. But you can see the clear lineage here. Read AD&D and 3E spell descriptions side by side and you can find a huge percentage of verbiage retained, for example.

4th ed took a different tack, probably for a combination of reasons. One being that executive management wanted to get out of the OGL, so they needed a sufficiently-different edition that the OGL & SRD couldn't be used to replicate it. Another, being, I'm guessing, that GIVEN that design mandate, the actual designers decided to address some problems or areas of contention (Linear Fighter, Quadratic Wizard among them) which D&D had, and tackle them ambitiously. And I think as part of this effort, they got away from the more Simulationist stance you prefer and the game moved in a more Gamist and Narrativist direction.

5E "rolled the clock back" a bit in terms of being a compromise edition, but it's become clear that, descending from the Trad gaming culture of play (and harkening back to the Non-wargamer Sci-Fi Fans part of the two major groups of players in the 1970s), the majority of modern gamers use D&D as more a storytelling heroic game than a world-simulator a la AD&D. I don't think "WotC has changed why they make D&D" at all, but that the past ten years of success and learning about the current player base has led them to cater to that player base in ways which appeal less to you and people with your preferences.

I think this means that you're doomed to frustration with hoping WotC will change course to cater to you more.

On the bright side, as an experienced and internet-savvy gamer, you're also aware of the OSR and tons of alternate options for D&D variants and third party publications which suit your preferences better. And those are vastly more available and conveniently accessible than they were thirty or even twenty years ago.
 
Last edited:

Micah Sweet

Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
I would offer an alternate take, though probably not a positive one for you. They haven't changed why they make the game- they do that to make money and to provide an RPG product which a maximal number of players will use and enjoy.

3rd ed was driven by a lot of the same play concepts as AD&D, but taken to a greater extreme. Rationalize and systematize and regularize even further. Adding skills and feats was a way to rationalize and systematize things that had to rely on GM fiat before. The "non-game" components as Gary might have called them, had he looked at AD&D with the same critical gaze he once applied to OD&D.

4th ed took a different tack, probably for a combination of reasons. One being that executive management wanted to get out of the OGL, so they needed a sufficiently-different edition that the OGL & SRD couldn't be used to replicate it. Another, being, I'm guessing, that GIVEN that design mandate, the actual designers decided to address some problems or areas of contention (Linear Fighter, Quadratic Wizard among them) which D&D had always had, and tackle them ambitiously. And I think as part of this effort, they got away from the more Simulationist stance you prefer and the game moved in a more Gamist and Narrativist direction.

5E "rolled the clock back" a bit in terms of being a compromise edition, but it's become clear that, descending from the Trad gaming culture of play (and harking back to the Non-wargamer Sci-Fi Fans part of the two major groups of players in the 1970s), the majority of modern gamers use D&D as more a storytelling heroic game than a world-simulator a la AD&D. I don't think "WotC has changed why they make D&D" at all, but that the past ten years of success and learning about the current player base has led them to cater to that player base in ways which appeal less to you and people with your preferences.

I think this means that you're doomed to frustration with hoping WotC will change course to cater to you more.

On the bright side, as an experienced and internet-savvy gamer, you're also aware of the OSR and tons of alternate options for D&D variants and third party publications which suit your preferences better. And those are vastly more available and conveniently accessible than they were thirty or even twenty years ago.
I certainly can't deny that. But I also can't deny that I have a very emotional reaction to it, and I'm never going to be ok with it.
 


Micah Sweet

Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
Well, I hope the vastly increased presence and accessibility of third party D&D variants is at least some consolation. We really have an embarrassment of riches with the OSR and NuSR nowadays.
True. Wish I could get my players to try them, or talk about them more with the community. So much interest is focused on WotC and assumes their game and their products whenever D&D in general is discussed. It's depressing.
 

Reynard

Legend
Another narrative mechanic in many games, including D&D, would be anytime an extended test is required:

Example: You are navigating the forest to find a lost child. Time is of the essence. You must make 2 of 3 rolls to succeed. What skills are you going to use and narrate how those skills will be useful in your goal.
I think you are using a pretty different definition of "Narrative mechanic" than most people would. Can you describe what you mean when you say "Narrative mechanic."?
 


Reynard

Legend
I'd say that a Narrative 'Mechanic' is any part of the game that lets someone at the table control the flow of the story (or narrative) mostly outside(but not always) of what their actual character can do.
I am not sure that the above tracks with this:
Another narrative mechanic in many games, including D&D, would be anytime an extended test is required:

Example: You are navigating the forest to find a lost child. Time is of the essence. You must make 2 of 3 rolls to succeed. What skills are you going to use and narrate how those skills will be useful in your goal.
Navigating the forest is not outside what the actual characters do.
 

An Advertisement

Advertisement4

Top