What is adventuring?

[Corinnguard]

Can you ever say you went on an adventure in an rpg if you never had a combat?

My point is the one RPG you're familiar with is not a valid basis for making the sweeping generalization that you can never ever ever say an episode of RPGing is an adventure if it doesn't contain combat. I don't think that's even true of D&D in which, as you acknowledged, exploration and social interaction are non-combat activities that also form a basis for adventuring.

I was trying to answer the OP's question as it related to me. Since joining my group back in June 2021, I have participated in two 5e adventures. Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus and Tyranny of Dragons. Both of which had moments of combat, exploration and social interaction. I didn't know there were adventures in 5e where you could not find yourself in combat.

 

[Piperken]

Yeah I wouldn't include Fawkes, he's just a straightforward revolutionary/terrorist (depending on perspective), but the other two certainly, albeit they're at the darker end of things. Some adventurers are just like going around going "WHOA!" a lot like Marco Polo (who I must imagine as Keanu Reeves), a larger proportion are engaging in some dodgy behaviour but not traditional evil like Lewis and Clark or various other colonialist "explorers", but largest section are just thieves, conquerors, invaders, raiders, pirates/legalized pirates, etc. etc. and so on, whether they're Julius Caesar, some random Viking, or whoever.

Laughing emoji was strictly for Keanu Reeves cast as Marco Polo.

 

[Theory of Games]

What is the ONE thing that really makes an ttRPG feel like your character goes in adventures (that you enjoy)??

The act of exploring a new and unusual location.

But also.....
Can you go on adventures in games like Vampire the Masquerade modern times?

Yes.

Can a rpg feel like an series of adventures if you never level up?

Yes.

Can you ever say you went on an adventure in an rpg if you never had a combat?

Yes.

 

[RenleyRenfield]

Combat is always my least-favorite part of an adventure game.

Oh? That is very interesting! So what about combat is it that makes it the least interesting?

Is it combat in general, or a specific system's combat?

What would make combat really really fun for you as a main feature of an adventure?

 

[RenleyRenfield]

I don't know if this can be generalized across TTRPGs, but I think "adventuring" can be equated to the interesting parts of a story that take a fair amount of telling as opposed to the less interesting parts that can be passed over easily.

OK, cool. So what do you think about non-moving games? That is to say, would you consider a political overthrow of a local leader (and the entire game was played in just one city), to be "an adventure?"

What about a rpg based largely around romance and betrayal of that romance?

Is there anything that is a lot of interesting parts, but you would not consider 'adventure'?

 

[Theory of Games]

OK, cool. So what do you think about non-moving games? That is to say, would you consider a political overthrow of a local leader (and the entire game was played in just one city), to be "an adventure?"

What about a rpg based largely around romance and betrayal of that romance?

Is there anything that is a lot of interesting parts, but you would not consider 'adventure'?

"interesting" is very subjective. How would you define it?

 

[RenleyRenfield]

Experiencing novelty and overcoming adversity- those things make up adventure in my mind. Levelling and treasure are how we measure progress, but not an end in their own right.

And if there was not levelling would you still consider it adventure because there was still adversity to overcome?

 

[RenleyRenfield]

This is not a "D&D" thread. It's in the *TTRPGs General forum, and the question was about RPGs in general.

Correct!

Although, I am ok with someone commenting in regards to the rpg of their choice too.

I hear some folks here seem to consider adventure different criteria for different games?

 

[RenleyRenfield]

"interesting" is very subjective. How would you define it?

@Hriston use the term "interesting", so I was also wondering more on that. I will let them answer that, as I am very interested in differing ideas here of "interesting" = especially when it comes to what they consider adventure!

 

[dbm]

And if there was not levelling would you still consider it adventure because there was still adversity to overcome?

Yes