What's your favorite play style for your D&D games?

[Mokona]

Monte doesn't define his poll options. In order to maintain the purity of the results I won't choose my definition for the terms either.

Poll: What's your favorite play style for your D&D games?

In your replies, how would YOU define "story-based"? What is the difference between "tactical combat" and "simulationist"?

Is there a sixth option that Monte missed that you really think should be added to the poll options?

 

[Daztur]

Where does "hexcrawl" go? I'm guessing simulationist? Not really sure... Fast and simple?

 

[Yora]

Tactical combat, I would say.

 

[Hassassin]

In his poll I get to choose all with different weights. I think you should at least have made it a multi-choice one.

Edit: I chose "Simulationist" there and "Fast and Simple" here, and would have chosen "Story Based" in a third poll. All three describe pretty much equally the style I like.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Story first.

***

D&D that's slow and complex? Still D&D. Archetypically D&D, maybe.

D&D about nonheroic characters and without action? Still D&D. Potentially very good D&D.

D&D without simulationism? Still D&D. A high-power game or a very tactical gamist one.

D&D without tactical combat? Still D&D. A great experience for the high-art roleplayers.

D&D without a story? Now you're just playing Chainmail.

***

Thus, I posit story as D&D's sine qua non. Doesn't have to be a great story or an involved story or even make sense, but D&D is a narrative form. There isn't a great deal of imperative for narrativist mechanics though, as you can tell whatever story you want with no rules at all (while sophisticated rules are essential to tactical combat). It's more about the rules staying out of the way and letting you tell whatever story you want, providing guidance and inspiration when needed.

 

[Mokona]

In his poll I get to choose all with different weights. I think you should at least have made it a multi-choice one.

Monte actually offers both a multiple choice poll as well as an "if you could only pick one" poll. I chose Monte's latter version because, frankly, all of the options in the right balance are important to me but that wouldn't produce much insight in the poll results.

 

[Hassassin]

Thus, I posit story as D&D's sine qua non.

I'd argue "story-based" and "story producing" are different types of play, but both very D&D.

 

[Hassassin]

Monte actually offers both a multiple choice poll as well as an "if you could only pick one" poll. I chose Monte's latter version because, frankly, all of the options in the right balance are important to me but that wouldn't produce much insight in the poll results.

I missed that at first, but I don't have a favorite.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I'd argue "story-based" and "story producing" are different types of play, but both very D&D.

Those sorts of semantic issues are unfortunately inherent consequences of one-line poll options. I wouldn't say that every D&D player comes to the game with the intent to tell a story, but that's what most of them accomplish.

 

[Mokona]

I agree that story-driven doesn't mean that story is the most important. Story-driven reflects game mechanics the respond to the story instead of standing alone and influencing story outcomes with an element of randomness.