What makes a TTRPG tactical?

[Theory of Games]

They're super abstract.

Well. It's a tabletop roleplaying game not a combat simulator, so there's layers of abstraction

 

[Thomas Shey]

Well. It's a tabletop roleplaying game not a combat simulator, so there's layers of abstraction

At a certain point abstraction can end up moving the decision points above where there's any meaningful tactics however (note: I'm not familiar with the rules referenced so I can't say if that's true there, but "super abstract" doesn't bode well).

 

[Theory of Games]

At a certain point abstraction can end up moving the decision points above where there's any meaningful tactics however (note: I'm not familiar with the rules referenced so I can't say if that's true there, but "super abstract" doesn't bode well).

Exactly why I haven't run D&D in years.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Exactly why I haven't run D&D in years.

Wasn't exactly the commonest thing on my plate, but there are versions that layered on enough other things that some meaningful tactics were reasonable. Honestly, the biggest abstractions in the system were the ways armor and hit points were handled.