What is a "Narrative Mechanic"?

[doctorbadwolf]

That's not true. Advantage or disadvantage is exactly like bonuses and penalties in previous editions. It is the result of specific tactical choices made by characters and the result of environmental effects. There is no mechanism in 5E for getting advantage for describing things. You get advantage on melee attacks against a prone opponent within reach. That's just a rule.

The DM can give advantage for choosing an especially good approach to soemthing, which is just describing things.

I can’t see the post you’re replying to, tho, so I can’t say if what they’re saying makes sense overall.

 

[aramis erak]

Maybe some examples might help?

Is Inspiration from 5e D&D a narrative mechanic?

If so, how so?

If not, why not?

it isn't... it is a mechanical state (having inspiration) being used to influence a state changing mechanical resolution action (the number of dice rolled). It does not, RAW, require a story justification.

At a basic level, any action with mechanical resolution usually starts in the story state, and the agency of someone involved. (I'll touch on an exception in a bit.)
I'll put it in a sequence outline for ease of understanding
Key jargon introduced: The authority - since not all RPGs use a GM... and some use rotating GMing, and others still use whole table assent, and a few use majority dissent - those are pretty much covering almost all games I've read/run

1. Story state exists and mechanical state exists, and both are largely known.
2. The participant (player or GM) declares a change to the story state through their controlled element (character, item, location).
3. The authority then determines if a mechanical resolution is appropriate
   1. If the mechanics don't need to be involved, the story state stands as altered. Done
   2. otherwise, continue
4. The mechanical representation of the story state change is determined by the authority.
5. The required mechanical elements are checked. (If dice or cards are involved, it's here. This is also the point where D&D inspiration acts.)
6. The result of the mechanical resolution are narrated into the story state.

There are a few games which do things differently.

• Brute Squad has a different sequence:
  1. Story and mechanical state exist.
  2. GM narrates the challenge and its mechanical state value (how hard it is)
  3. whichever player speaks first declares stat, and rolls the dice
     1. If the dice indicate success, the player must narrate into the story state a resolution of the challenge that fits both the narrative state and the mechanically chosen ability,
        1. if the majority of the table and the GM agree that it does so, it's a change to the story state and removal of the challenge as a game state
        2. if the majority of players or if the GM say it doesn't, the narration is NOT admitted to the story state, the player is "punished" with a mechanical state change, and another player tries.
     2. If the dice indicate failure, the player acting narrates how they failed to overcome it, and why.
        1. If these fit the story and mechanical states, the character is mechanically altered lightly.
        2. if the dissent to fit happens, the player is punished with a more severe mechanical state change.
  4. The GM then narrates into the next challenge, and back to #2

A narrative mechanic doesn't require some element of the story state (character, item, situation) to justify its change to the story state.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The easiest definition I've come across is that a narrative mechanic is anything that works on or towards results that couldn't stem from something your character could do 'in character'. That casts a pretty wide net, but I'm also not using it pejoratively. That could probably stand to be reduced into a couple of sub-categories I think.

That’s a good definition, I think.

Any definition will get nit picked by someone, but this is pretty solid.

 

[loverdrive]

Narrative mechanic is a mechanic that is primarily concerned with, well, narrative. Not world simulation, not game balance, narrative. That's, more or less, it.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Narrative mechanic is a mechanic that is primarily concerned with, well, narrative. Not world simulation, not game balance, narrative. That's, more or less, it.

That does describe anything I can think of that is a narrative mechanic. Fair enough.

 

[loverdrive]

nevermind, I can't read

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Eh? I can think of many mechanics that have nothing to do with narrative, and even more mechanics that don't place it as a top priority.

Hypothetical "on your turn you can spend an Action Point to deal your weapon's damage to any target within range" isn't a narrative mechanic, because it's not concerned with the narrative it produces.

You seem to be replying under the thought that my comment was disagreeing with yours. It was not.

 

[Tonguez]

That's not true. Advantage or disadvantage is exactly like bonuses and penalties in previous editions. It is the result of specific tactical choices made by characters and the result of environmental effects. There is no mechanism in 5E for getting advantage for describing things. You get advantage on melee attacks against a prone opponent within reach. That's just a rule.

The basic example is throwing sand in your opponents eye, there are no rules for it, its just a thing a character says they do “I scoop up some sand and throw it into my opponents eyes”
the DM can then decide okay your opponent gets disadvantage on their next attack as they blink the sand out of their eyes

 

[Yora]

I imagine a narrative mechanic would be when the rules say "It is now Player B's turn to tell what the NPCs are doing or what happens in the environment".

 

[Reynard]

The basic example is throwing sand in your opponents eye, there are no rules for it, its just a thing a character says they do “I scoop up some sand and throw it into my opponents eyes”
the DM can then decide okay your opponent gets disadvantage on their next attack as they blink the sand out of their eyes

That's not getting advantage for being descriptive, that is getting advantage for performing an action in the fiction. One would hope the GM adjudicates that fairly, by either being generous to everyone including the enemies, or having a house rule that defines what sort of action and/or check is required to gain that mechanical benefit.

That's different than the way I interpreted what you were saying, which was granting advantage for purple prose. But it is certainly possible that I misunderstood you.