What *is* D&D?

[Fifth Element]

Gygax's "viking hat DM" attitude is an urban myth. Re-read your 1E DMG and your old copies of the Sorcerer's Scroll. He recognizes the fact that bad DMing solves itself: no players. it says so right there in the 1E DMG. Now, he's a gamer, so like the rest of us he has let a rant off now and then -- it's just that some of those rants have gotten repeated and paraphrased to the point that he comes off as a frothing lunatic wearing his GM screen like a crown. It just ain't true.

No, it's my interpretation of his writings as a whole. You discount his rants, while I do not.

 

[WayneLigon]

D&D is most of those things, but so are most other RPGs.

 

[Arkhandus]

All of the above, to me.

 

[Slife]

A game published by Wizards of the Coast, originally made by Gygax.

 

[Reynard]

No, it's my interpretation of his writings as a whole. You discount his rants, while I do not.

It doesn't sound like you're taking "his writing as a whole" into account when labelling it that way, but really our individual opinions of Gygax aren't really relevent so I'll just agree to disagree.

 

[Reynard]

A game published by Wizards of the Coast, originally made by Gygax.

EDITTED TO REMOVE SNARK

 

[Reynard]

D&D is most of those things, but so are most other RPGs.

Given your rather strong opinions on D&D and 4E in particular, I would have expected more of a response.

 

[Geoffrey]

I voted for "Creating a fantastic world and watching it grow through play." That precisely describes what I like best about D&D as a DM

As a player, my favorite thing is "Exploring a fantastic world and watching it grow through play."

 

[the Jester]

Interestingly, I voted for everything that didn't involve game mechanics.

DnD is also my favorite art form.

Also, it is a quasi-religious ritual.

 

[WayneLigon]

Given your rather strong opinions on D&D and 4E in particular, I would have expected more of a response.

I'm curious as to what you would have expected There's not really a whole lot to argue about in your breakdown; all of those factors can describe D&D but all of them can and probably do describe most roleplaying games out there save a few purposefully designed with a very narrow focus.

Now phrasing it as 'which ones of these are the best descriptors of a good role playing game' or 'which of these playstyles best fits D&D' would have done the trick