I wonder if it's to do with the DM/player balance around here? Perhaps some DMs think of "Fantasy, imaginary world" or "Narrative, telling a story" in the same way that Expression is meant here? So many aspects of the game are inherently self-expressive, so it's hard to separate just Expression from the rest of the game's elements.I have to say, i would not have guessed Narrative and Expression would be as high and low as they are, respectively. I would be much less surprised if their vote totals were switched
If I'm understanding correctly, that is generally called "abnegation" elsewhere. Subsuming yourself into the activity, "vegging out," getting so "in the zone" you forget about anything else.I look side-eye at:
Submission - There HAS to have been a better word to have used here. HAS TO.
It's either Fantasy or Discovery. Fantasy if you don't really care that much about delving into the world, you just want it to be consistent and enjoy thinking through what it's like to be in it. Discovery if you don't so much care about picturing the world, but you do care about getting real deep into the lore-guts thereof and answering All The Questions.Well, then I can only vote for two: Narrative and Challenge.
If you can figure out where you would want to put Verisimilitude, you can add it to that as my third vote.
That's fair, I'll say that the Narrative vote is the shocking of the two to me. As limited as Expression is as an actual goal, I'd always thought that old game found Narrative downright blasphemous, if not entirely antithetical to good DMingENWorld’s users skew on the older side, and expression isn’t really a significant factor to the D&D old guard.
Oh! NO NO NO NO NO!I'd always thought that old game found Narrative downright blasphemous, if not entirely antithetical to good DMing
Fantasy is the act of imagining itself--of conjuring mental images or sensations, of engaging in and with the depiction of the conceived world. It is nourished by lavish descriptions and evocative dialogue.What's the distinction between fantasy and discovery, here? You can't really engage with a fantasy world without exploring it - even engaging with an NPC is an exploration of the world. (You can be a completely RP-less hack-and-slasher - and that's fine, to be clear - but that would mean neither fantasy nor discovery, more like challenge.)
Well that’s the Classic vs Trad divide there. Narrative would probably be less popular if this thread was posted in the OSR subforum, but I think here in the 5e sub the preference is going to skew more towards Trad.That's fair, I'll say that the Narrative vote is the shocking of the two to me. As limited as Expression is as an actual goal, I'd always thought that old game found Narrative downright blasphemous, if not entirely antithetical to good DMing
I’mma guess 2e is either your favorite edition or the first you tried?Oh! NO NO NO NO NO!
Narrative is essential IME and IMO to good DMing! Narrative IS the story in the game to me.
So, that is my POV as an old gamer (well, not age old maybe... "oldish" certainly... but I've been playing D&D in one form or another for over 40 years... so, yeah).
I started B/X in 1978, the of course into AD&D 1E and BECMI within a year or so, then started a 1E/2E-hybrid (mostly 1E) in 1990 which I played until 2005, when I tried 3E for less than a year, then went back to the hybrid. Finally got into 5E about 4 years ago.I’mma guess 2e is either your favorite edition of the first you tried?
Yeah, nor did I want to steer the discussion in an edition war direction. I just figured from the focus on narrative you’d be a fan of that post-Hickman-revolution style narrative-focused play.I started B/X in 1978, the of course into AD&D 1E and BECMI within a year or so, then started a 1E/2E-hybrid (mostly 1E) in 1990 which I played until 2005, when I tried 3E for less than a year, then went back to the hybrid. Finally got into 5E about 4 years ago.
2E wasn't really my favorite edition, but the blend of 1E/2E I made was. I liked some of the systems/mechanics in 2E which simplified things from 1E, but kept classes, spells, magic items, and every thing else from 1E. Mostly 2E we used initiative and non-weapon proficiency slots. Once 2E started the splat-book run, I knew D&D was dying IMO then.
What I play now (5E with some house-rules) is a facsimile of what D&D used to be. BUT, I don't want this to become any sort of edition war thread so I'm leaving it at that.
Fan, sure, but it has just always been the way I liked to play because for me story is essential. Otherwise, why are the PCs doing what they are doing???Yeah, nor did I want to steer the discussion in an edition war direction. I just figured from the focus on narrative you’d be a fan of that post-Hickman-revolution style narrative-focused play.
. Otherwise, why are the PCs doing what they are doing???
D&D sounds alot like office worker sim 3000.For the loot and the glory, of course!
Even though EN skews older, most of us came up with or after the Hickman Revolution, which centered narrative in D&D.That's fair, I'll say that the Narrative vote is the shocking of the two to me. As limited as Expression is as an actual goal, I'd always thought that old game found Narrative downright blasphemous, if not entirely antithetical to good DMing
It’s not perfectly clear to me, either.What's the distinction between fantasy and discovery, here? You can't really engage with a fantasy world without exploring it - even engaging with an NPC is an exploration of the world. (You can be a completely RP-less hack-and-slasher - and that's fine, to be clear - but that would mean neither fantasy nor discovery, more like challenge.)