D&D General What is D&D? A Universal Definition

[Xiaochun]

Do you think its possible to play D&D without going on an adventure, or is adventurism something that must be present?

 

[Minigiant]

Do you think its possible to play D&D without going on an adventure, or is adventurism something that must be present?

I believe that the core 2 elements that must be in D&D are the dungeon and the dragon.

Now neither a dungeon nor a dragon must be present. However if you play D&D something must be acting the part of the "dungeon" and the "dragon".
And often adventuring is an important aspect of the dungeon role or dragon role.
There are ways to have a dungeon or dragon without the adventure but they are few and not easy to pull off.

Edit:

The Dungeon is a multistage obstacle that contain multiple fantasy challenges
The Dragon is a fantasy antagonist that guards a reward or poses a danger
Both of which cannot be handled effectively by normal means and requires fantasy specialists (aka PCs) to handle in the game's timeframe.

 

[GreenTengu]

Dungeons and Dragons was orinally defined as a game that took war model gaming and put a narrative around it that put the focus on a group of characters that were battling against the odds.

The development towards characters in stories over the years is a pretty natural development. It was always the aim that was aimed for, but what got lost in every edition.

 

[Xiaochun]

I believe that the core 2 elements that must be in D&D are the dungeon and the dragon.

Now neither a dungeon nor a dragon must be present. However if you play D&D something must be acting the part of the "dungeon" and the "dragon".
And often adventuring is an important aspect of the dungeon role or dragon role.
There are ways to have a dungeon or dragon without the adventure but they are few and not easy to pull off.

Edit:

The Dungeon is a multistage obstacle that contain multiple fantasy challenges
The Dragon is a fantasy antagonist that guards a reward or poses a danger
Both of which cannot be handled effectively by normal means and requires fantasy specialists (aka PCs) to handle in the game's timeframe.

Yes but isn't a dungeon a punitive place where criminals are sent. And not all all cultures view dragons as antagonistic.

 

[Minigiant]

Yes but isn't a dungeon a punitive place where criminals are sent. And not all all cultures view dragons as antagonistic.

I said the Dungeon doesn't have to be a Dungeon and the Dragon doesn't have to be a Dragon.

The Dungeon can be an ancient ruin, a magical laboratory, a mountain trek over disputed dwarven halls, or the reception of an elf king's wedding.

The Dragon can be a lich, vampire, devil, demon, warlord, a evil priest, secret society, an elf king's suitor, or a envious ghost.

 

[Xiaochun]

I said the Dungeon doesn't have to be a Dungeon and the Dragon doesn't have to be a Dragon.

The Dungeon can be an ancient ruin, a magical laboratory, a mountain trek over disputed dwarven halls, or the reception of an elf king's wedding.

The Dragon can be a lich, vampire, devil, demon, warlord, a evil priest, secret society, an elf king's suitor, or a envious ghost.

So it's possible to run a game without obstacles or antagonists then?

Edit: If that's right, that's pretty good, since it means various storytelling methods that have no conflict can be used, such as 起承转结 Qie cheng zhuan jie.

 

[Minigiant]

So it's possible to run a game without obstacles or antagonists then?

Edit: If that's right, that's pretty good, since it means various storytelling methods that have no conflict can be used, such as 起承转结 Qie cheng zhuan jie.

No, to be D&D there must be obstacles or antagonists. The point is that it doesn't have tobe trapped rooms and big lizards. No fighting is needed but you need multistage obstacles or big antagonists

You could run a PC law firm.
The multistage obstacle is the trial.
The big antagonist is the opposing lawyers.

You could run a PC detective agency
The multistage obstacle is the investigation and interviews.
The big antagonist is the criminal or accident.

 

[Xiaochun]

No, to be D&D there must be obstacles or antagonists. The point is that it doesn't have tobe trapped rooms and big lizards. No fighting is needed but you need multistage obstacles or big antagonists

You could run a PC law firm.
The multistage obstacle is the trial.
The big antagonist is the opposing lawyers.

You could run a PC detective agency
The multistage obstacle is the investigation and interviews.
The big antagonist is the criminal or accident.

Okay so there are restrictions on the types of stories you can tell with this game. Others were trying to convince me otherwise, but what you are saying is that certain story types are required in order to properly run the game.

 

[Minigiant]

Okay so there are restrictions on the types of stories you can tell with this game. Others were trying to convince me otherwise, but what you are saying is that certain story types are required in order to properly run the game.

It's less a restriction on the type of story and more a story structure.

D&D is about going from a group of Fantasy Archetypes going from Challenge #1 to Challenge #2 to Challenge #3 to Challenge #4 etc all while a looming figure shadows over the area. It could be action, adventure, mystery, horror, or drama.

D&D is more like a movie series than a TV series, novel series, or a theatrical play.

 

[Mercurius]

This is one of those “fun facts” that is, in fact, not factual.

I love being corrected a second time, while the point I was making (which still stands) was not addressed. But OK.