What you love about D&D, isn't D&D

[Bullgrit]

It's a strange thing I see often in discussions here on ENWorld about D&D.

Take two people who like D&D.

D&D-Lover #1 also likes X style or aspect of play. A major reason DDL1 likes D&D is because it has X. He sees X throughout the game, and he is happy about it. He always plays D&D with X. Always has.

D&D-Lover #2 dislikes X style or aspect of play. A major reason DDL2 likes D&D is because it does not have X. He doesn't see X anywhere in the game, and he is happy about it. He never plays D&D with X. Never has.

Someone posts a discussion topic of "What do you think of X in D&D?"

DDL 1 and 2 get into arguments over the existence and non-existence of X in D&D.

DDL1 argues that X is all throughout D&D, or maybe X is not directly in D&D, but it is at least strongly suggested and supported by D&D.

DDL2 argues that X is not in D&D, or X may show up in D&D, but it is strongly discouraged and unsupported.

It's kind of weird because the two sides are basically saying that what the other likes about D&D isn't D&D.

Bullgrit

 

[D'karr]

What you just wrote had nothing to do with D&D.

Arguments are what the internet forums are made of. I'd like to say it was not true but people will argue, sometimes, just for the argument.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

It depends what the meaning of the word "is" is.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

The problem with a lot of the arguments is that people have certain definitons in their heads and forget that others might not be working from the same definitions.

In a *ahem* recent thread, a question phrased "Is D&D about X?" has so many wsys of looking at it, that the discussion was doomed to devolve into people talking past each other. The arguers have differeing ideas about the term "D&D" in that context (Is it the rules? Is it the design intention? Is it individuals' games? Is it the topic of the game?). Even worse, they have differing ideas on the deceptively innocuous word "about" in that context (Does it mean "on the general topic of"? Does it include "how" as well as "what"? How does one measure "aboutness", and which measure is "correct"?)

Worst of all, of course, is that some people just like to argue. Layer onto that the annoying habit of some people to threadjack-- to change the discussion from the parameters of the OP without having the courtesy to fork the argument-- and it can become very tiresome.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

What if I'm both people? I like D&D version A because it does have caboodles of X. And then I like D&D version B because it cut it out.

I guess I'm going to need to start arguing with myself on the internet or be forced to turn in my geek card. I'm so confused!

 

[Oryan77]

Why would anyone like X in their D&D to begin with? That's just stupid. There was no X when I started playing. Sure, some people might have added some X into their games back then, but they were playing wrong.

 

[Pentius]

Why would anyone like X in their D&D to begin with? That's just stupid. There was no X when I started playing. Sure, some people might have added some X into their games back then, but they were playing wrong.

I don't understand how you can be this wrong. X is the very foundation of all D&D, and is the only possible way to get an enjoyable experience. I guess if you tried, you could tear X out of D&D, but you'd have mangled it so badly, it wouldn't be D&D anymore.

 

[OnlineDM]

Arguments are what the internet forums are made of. I'd like to say it was not true but people will argue, sometimes, just for the argument.

No, you're so wrong about that.

 

[Dannager]

Worst of all, of course, is that some people just like to argue. Layer onto that the annoying habit of some people to threadjack-- to change the discussion from the parameters of the OP without having the courtesy to fork the argument-- and it can become very tiresome.

I'm not certain that it's threadjacking when the parameters of the thread are "Put the least amount of thought into your answer as possible!" Using the poll as a springboard for an actual, substantive discussion isn't threadjacking. It's responsible use of a discussion board.

 

[Beginning of the End]

Why would anyone like X in their D&D to begin with? That's just stupid. There was no X when I started playing. Sure, some people might have added some X into their games back then, but they were playing wrong.

X has been in D&D since the very beginning. In fact, it's right on the cover: GYGAX.