What makes D&D, well, D&D?

[Remathilis]

Plenty of other fantasy role-playing games have fire-and-forget magic mechanics, classes, and Tolkien races -- but they ain't D&D. The question was, what makes D&D distinctively D&D?

Flumphs.

 

[francisca]

Don't forget Burroughs, Clark Ashton Smith, de Camp and Pratt, and A Merrit . . .

Nor Poul Anderson. if you have any doubts, read Three Hearts and Three Lions.

Somebody just watched "Full Metal Jacket".

Naw. not in years, but I've no doubt that's where I lifted it from.

 

[Mokona]

The four archetype classes of Fighter, Rogue, Wizard, and Cleric.
Red dragons
Swordfighting and armor
Magic
The 20-sided die
The six standard attributes of Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, and Cha.

 

[weasel fierce]

To me...

Class based system, utilizing recognizable fantasy archetypes

Typical high fantasy races

Tendency towards epic and heroic play

Abstract combat instead of gritty realism

Vancian magic

Old school, traditional fantasy

Funny looking artwork

 

[jmucchiello]

Nobody mentioned architecture based on how easy it is draw on a grid. This gives birth to the impossibly huge 10 foot wide, 10 foot tall, 100 foot long corridors that fill dungeons. D&D is the 12 orcs living in the 10 by 10 room behind a locked door next to the 10 by 10 pit trap with spikes in it.

D&D is kicking in doors, killing intelligent beings and taking their stuff.

 

[palleomortis]

Nobody mentioned architecture based on how easy it is draw on a grid. This gives birth to the impossibly huge 10 foot wide, 10 foot tall, 100 foot long corridors that fill dungeons. D&D is the 12 orcs living in the 10 by 10 room behind a locked door next to the 10 by 10 pit trap with spikes in it.

D&D is kicking in doors, killing intelligent beings and taking their stuff.

YEEEEHAAAAAAWWW!!! I talked to my dm the other day, he has never heard of the ten foot by ten foot room with the orc!!!(I'm scared. )

 

[diaglo]

The four archetype classes of Fighter, Rogue, Wizard, and Cleric.
Red dragons
Swordfighting and armor
Magic
The 20-sided die
The six standard attributes of Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, and Cha.

The three archetypes are Cleric, Fighting Man, Magic user and then the optional Thief.

The standard ability scores are rolled in order Str, Int, Wis, Con, Dex, Cha.

 

[Melan]

The weird hodge-podge of real and imagined mythologies all living in one place and remaining mostly unchanged. The extraordinarily materialistic outlook most PCs and NPCs seem to have (it's easier to save the world (TM) when you earn big bucks in the process). Vancian magic (and the associated scientific worldview). The fact that, despite all the longswords and chainmail armour, D&D isn't anything like the middle ages.

Multiple weird dice (I still don't get games who take pride in using only one kind).

Also, giant frogs.

 

[palleomortis]

The weird hodge-podge of real and imagined mythologies all living in one place and remaining mostly unchanged. The extraordinarily materialistic outlook most PCs and NPCs seem to have (it's easier to save the world (TM) when you earn big bucks in the process). Vancian magic (and the associated scientific worldview). The fact that, despite all the longswords and chainmail armour, D&D isn't anything like the middle ages.

Multiple weird dice (I still don't get games who take pride in using only one kind).

Also, giant frogs.

So how do you know they arn't toads?

 

[diaglo]

So how do you know they arn't toads?

he licked one.