D&D General What is D&D?

[tetrasodium]

I am basing on the Hasbro produced, authorized, and uploaded to @DNDWizards official D&D channel on Youtube, the Ravenloft game, not Critical Role.

If Hasbro and Wizards are wrong about it, as the makers of the "game"; then who can be right?

I have no idea why you half quoted my post. The omitted section addresses your inexperienced question about dead PCs by describing scenarios where the player decides a dead PC is their win condition in a game that lacks win & loss conditions.

 

[SothFan]

player decides a dead PC is their win condition

Because this has nothing to do with the rules? Can the same be said for the bakrupt Monopoly player? "That was my win condition!" It makes no sense does it?

Even for those advocating "its a game" when an actual game conditional is acknowledged, you lot turn around and dismiss the element favoring the position that it is a "game"?

And people wonder why I and many others would have no intetest in playing. You change everything on a whim or mood swing, so how could anyone trust anyone playing this "game" to be fair or impartial?

 

[abazaba]

I am basing on the Hasbro produced, authorized, and uploaded to @DNDWizards official D&D channel on Youtube, the Ravenloft game, not Critical Role.

If Hasbro and Wizards are wrong about it, as the makers of the "game"; then who can be right?

There are multiple 'ways' you can play the game. You can do it like you see on shows like the one you refer to, but you most definitely don't have to.

 

[Mort]

And people wonder why I and many others would have no intetest in playing. You change everything on a whim or mood swing, so how could anyone trust anyone playing this "game" to be fair or impartial?

I've found the best way is to have a Session 0 where the table rules and expectations are made very clear.

For some groups (not mine, as we have been playing together for ages), people like having a short writeup of the groups table rules and expectations.

 

[SothFan]

have a Session 0

What is this? Is it in the rules?
I have been told do not watch Youtube to learn these thing, even though the Youtube people have been advising Hasbro for 6 months now... so where is a reliable source if not Youtube, Hasbro/Wizards, or other users here?

 

[TwoSix]

If Hasbro and Wizards are wrong about it, as the makers of the "game"; then who can be right?

No one is right, because this isn't the sort of question amenable to "right" answers.

At best, we can collate numerous anecdotes from many people, and see if some reponses are more common than others. But even being a common approach won't make it the "right" answer.

 

[abazaba]

What is this? Is it in the rules?
I have been told do not watch Youtube to learn these thing, even though the Youtube people have been advising Hasbro for 6 months now... so where is a reliable source if not Youtube, Hasbro/Wizards, or other users here?

'Session zero' is definitely mentioned in the official WotC/Hasbro book "Tasha's Cauldron of Everything". It's also mentioned/advocated in various videos on YouTube by multiple people.

--- edit ---

And it's also mentioned in the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide. Sorry for the omission.

 

[Remathilis]

So all of you answer that death is a loss condition. The character is dead, therefore by the rules can take no actions. Another character has to take actions on its behalf. A clear loss condition.

A new character has nothing to do with the previous character or player, because a new character is not required to use existing players is it?

What do they rules say about adding a new character to an existing game?

Same player, different character.

If I play Remathilis the thief and he is killed (zero HP failed death saves) I get to make a new character and play them now. So if my second character is Thomas the cleric, he is unrelated to Remathilis, but I'm still able to play as this new character. I don't have to leave and Thomas isn't played by a whole different player.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

Games are not "games" until someone sits down and plays them. Whether they're rules printed in a manual, a bunch of pieces in a cardboard box, or programs stored on a hard drive, none of these are actually played until someone picks them up and creates an experience. They're just words on paper, materials in a box, or data on a computer. It doesn't exist beyond an idea until people follow the rules, modify their engagements, and invent their own standards. They may love it, hate it, argue over it, laugh about it, etc.

Games don't tell people what to feel or how they should feel about them. It's just people looking for something unique for themselves that isn't found in a single game, or a single box, or a single group, or a single way to play. And whatever one person is looking for doesn't have to be the same thing as anyone else.

Games don't play themselves. People play games, and it is usually with other people. Sometimes it's a competition. Sometimes it's a collaboration. Either way, it requires cooperation. If you think about it, that's not unlike how communication works.

 

[Mort]

What is this? Is it in the rules?
I have been told do not watch Youtube to learn these thing, even though the Youtube people have been advising Hasbro for 6 months now... so where is a reliable source if not Youtube, Hasbro/Wizards, or other users here?

Session 0 has been around for a long time. For 5e, As stated by @abazaba, was discussed in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, where it's stated as:

"Before making characters or playing the game, the DM and players can run a special session—colloquially called session zero—to establish expectations, outline the terms of a social contract, and share house rules. Making and sticking to these rules can help ensure that the game is a fun experience for everyone involved."

The whole point is to make sure everyone is on the same page as to what to expect in play.