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What is the essence of D&D
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<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 7806614" data-attributes="member: 996"><p>Y'all know I'm cynical. So, y'know what's coming...</p><p></p><p>Other RPGs lack name recognition and fad status from the 80s satanic panic. Many of them do have communities, continuity, and scale - and scope. Long histories, adaptation to many genres, sold in multiple countries, etc. They just aren't household names.</p><p></p><p>D&D is not a big tent RPG, at all. It's the only visible tent for those ducking into the hobby for the first time. But the scope of games you can run with it, compared to RPGs less baroque, broken, or hobbled by tradition? Really pretty narrow. So, especially early on, when unaware of alternatives, enthusiasts would just re-write it like crazy into whatever they wanted, but still call it D&D.</p><p></p><p>Now, 5e was conceived as a 'big tent' /for existing fans of D&D/. That's where 'Big Tent' became a D&D buzzword.</p><p></p><p>Yes, D&D has a long history. So do Traveler and RuneQuest/BRP. It's not the length of the history.</p><p></p><p>Well, there's the name. Name recognition and history are a huge part of what makes D&D relevant in the hobby. OK, they're basically all of what makes it relevant. Plus they make up for all the things that /should/ have made it irrelevant decades ago.</p><p></p><p>And we have had some HUGE discontinuities. Like the Edition War. So whatever commonality it is, it skipped over one edition....</p><p></p><p>So:</p><p></p><p> Magic.</p><p></p><p><strong>The <em>Primacy</em> of Magic.</strong></p><p></p><p>In the form of both Casters and Magic Items.</p><p></p><p>I mean, there's many details that have gotten calcified in the D&D experience - hit points, AC, saves, class, level, etc, etc, but most of them get compromised or tweaked at some point without causing the game to 'not be D&D' anymore.</p><p></p><p>AC went from matrix to THACO, to DC, and inverted, all without not being D&D, for instance. Hit points have inflated and deflated, been defined different ways, etc. We've had classes come and go, change radically, level differently, MC very differently, bleed into races, etc.</p><p></p><p><strong>But, the only time D&D was <em>JUST NOT D&D</em>, was when casters were roughly balanced with non-casters, and magic items were little more than fungible baseline gear and fashion accessories.</strong></p><p></p><p> Balance. Specifically, class balance, though encounter balance was also a factor. Especially the way caster classes balanced with non-casters, and the way magic items (and rituals) were indexed to wealth/level that made them just another build resource, <em>and not nearly the most important/powerful one</em>.</p><p></p><p> This is one of those odd misconception that reminds me that we have to accept what others 'feel' as their own personal experience, no matter how at odds with certain of the facts they may seem.</p><p></p><p>Objectively, classes in 4e had similar structures in terms of number of powers, very different characteristics in play based on role and features, and very different flavor & breadth based on Source (and powers used a consistent/set of rules & keywords while giving the players freedom to define their flavor). Focus on one, ignore the others, and we get the cosmetic aspect of one of the core rifts of the edition war: 4e detractors feeling that the classes were 'samey,' 4e fans, in stark contrast, feeling that they're /finally/ getting to play something closer to the full range of characters from genre.</p><p></p><p>But, the root is that core of D&D: the Magic.</p><p>Magic in 4e - magic items and class 'Sources' other than martial - had greater breadth of effects, very different flavor, but weren't flat-out more powerful. You could quite literally remove magic from the game with little issue. Martial classes only, inherent bonuses on - the game would progress about as normal (for any other party that lacked a controller, that is, so a bit rougher when outnumbered, for instance).</p><p>That's the not-D&D part.</p><p></p><p>Nothing about the champion seems remotely special. Seriously. Absolutely everything in D&D with hands (and a few things without, I suspect) can wade into combat swinging a weapon.</p><p>That, you could say about the BM - or the 4e Warlord, or any other 4e martial class... or the 3e or earlier fighters, rogues, & thieves/assassins, to a point.</p><p>D&D characters tend to be overly-specialized for typical protagonists, in particular, protagonists tend to be charismatic, perceptive, and clever in ways 6-stat, STR-or-DEX-primary/DEX-and/or-CON-secondary D&D classes can rarely manage.</p><p></p><p> Very true. But, really, it went beyond just not scratching an itch, or it'd've just been a matter of go rub up against PF or Hackmaster or whatever, and :::ahhhhh…::: ...we're good.</p><p></p><p>4e was actively infuriating. It wasn't just a D&D some D&Ders didn't care for, it was one they couldn't /tolerate/. It would not be exaggerating much to say that it was viewed as an existential threat.</p><p></p><p>Because the <em>Magic</em> wasn't there.</p><p></p><p>When it came time to put the magic back, with 5e, it was up-front about it:</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 7806614, member: 996"] Y'all know I'm cynical. So, y'know what's coming... Other RPGs lack name recognition and fad status from the 80s satanic panic. Many of them do have communities, continuity, and scale - and scope. Long histories, adaptation to many genres, sold in multiple countries, etc. They just aren't household names. D&D is not a big tent RPG, at all. It's the only visible tent for those ducking into the hobby for the first time. But the scope of games you can run with it, compared to RPGs less baroque, broken, or hobbled by tradition? Really pretty narrow. So, especially early on, when unaware of alternatives, enthusiasts would just re-write it like crazy into whatever they wanted, but still call it D&D. Now, 5e was conceived as a 'big tent' /for existing fans of D&D/. That's where 'Big Tent' became a D&D buzzword. Yes, D&D has a long history. So do Traveler and RuneQuest/BRP. It's not the length of the history. Well, there's the name. Name recognition and history are a huge part of what makes D&D relevant in the hobby. OK, they're basically all of what makes it relevant. Plus they make up for all the things that /should/ have made it irrelevant decades ago. And we have had some HUGE discontinuities. Like the Edition War. So whatever commonality it is, it skipped over one edition.... So: Magic. [B]The [I]Primacy[/I] of Magic.[/B] In the form of both Casters and Magic Items. I mean, there's many details that have gotten calcified in the D&D experience - hit points, AC, saves, class, level, etc, etc, but most of them get compromised or tweaked at some point without causing the game to 'not be D&D' anymore. AC went from matrix to THACO, to DC, and inverted, all without not being D&D, for instance. Hit points have inflated and deflated, been defined different ways, etc. We've had classes come and go, change radically, level differently, MC very differently, bleed into races, etc. [B]But, the only time D&D was [I]JUST NOT D&D[/I], was when casters were roughly balanced with non-casters, and magic items were little more than fungible baseline gear and fashion accessories.[/B] Balance. Specifically, class balance, though encounter balance was also a factor. Especially the way caster classes balanced with non-casters, and the way magic items (and rituals) were indexed to wealth/level that made them just another build resource, [I]and not nearly the most important/powerful one[/I]. This is one of those odd misconception that reminds me that we have to accept what others 'feel' as their own personal experience, no matter how at odds with certain of the facts they may seem. Objectively, classes in 4e had similar structures in terms of number of powers, very different characteristics in play based on role and features, and very different flavor & breadth based on Source (and powers used a consistent/set of rules & keywords while giving the players freedom to define their flavor). Focus on one, ignore the others, and we get the cosmetic aspect of one of the core rifts of the edition war: 4e detractors feeling that the classes were 'samey,' 4e fans, in stark contrast, feeling that they're /finally/ getting to play something closer to the full range of characters from genre. But, the root is that core of D&D: the Magic. Magic in 4e - magic items and class 'Sources' other than martial - had greater breadth of effects, very different flavor, but weren't flat-out more powerful. You could quite literally remove magic from the game with little issue. Martial classes only, inherent bonuses on - the game would progress about as normal (for any other party that lacked a controller, that is, so a bit rougher when outnumbered, for instance). That's the not-D&D part. Nothing about the champion seems remotely special. Seriously. Absolutely everything in D&D with hands (and a few things without, I suspect) can wade into combat swinging a weapon. That, you could say about the BM - or the 4e Warlord, or any other 4e martial class... or the 3e or earlier fighters, rogues, & thieves/assassins, to a point. D&D characters tend to be overly-specialized for typical protagonists, in particular, protagonists tend to be charismatic, perceptive, and clever in ways 6-stat, STR-or-DEX-primary/DEX-and/or-CON-secondary D&D classes can rarely manage. Very true. But, really, it went beyond just not scratching an itch, or it'd've just been a matter of go rub up against PF or Hackmaster or whatever, and :::ahhhhh…::: ...we're good. 4e was actively infuriating. It wasn't just a D&D some D&Ders didn't care for, it was one they couldn't /tolerate/. It would not be exaggerating much to say that it was viewed as an existential threat. Because the [I]Magic[/I] wasn't there. When it came time to put the magic back, with 5e, it was up-front about it: [/QUOTE]
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