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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Guest&nbsp; 85555" data-source="post: 6066546">This argument doesn't really work. I think it sounds like a convincing argument, but when you really think about it, it breaks down. Combat is consistent a feature of the game, combat does include HP (whoch are arguably cinematic) but combat itself is not consistently cinematic as a result of HP, and too many any other things in the game work against it being cinematic.there is also the issue that the mere presence of something throughout a game, doesn't neccesarily definethe game's feel. Lots of other things feature in the game consistently that are not cinematic. It doesnt make the game those things. Travel and treasure are consistently part of the game, therefore encumberance comes up pretty consistently. That is a pretty reaslistic part of the game. Doesn't make the game realistic. Cinematic play isnt just about having something vaguely cinematic in the game consistenlty. It is about having a number of different aspects of the game being cinematic enough to produce something that feels cinematic to most players. It isnt enough for characters to just be able to take lots of damage, and say that makes the game cinematic. The use of a cinematic mechanic on a regular basis doesn't make the game consistently cinematic. There are many aspects of the game where it is consistently not cinematic as well. A lack of "hero points" makes the game ery uncinematic. This was a big issue in the 90s when they were promoting a more cinematic playstyle but the game simply didn't support it. You literally had to cheat on a regular basis to make the game feel more cinematic. Or what about all the gritty save or die effects in older editions? There is enough of that in the game to counter any sense of cinematic D&D. And those feature prominently in the game: do they make it gritty? Of course not, because the way HP works fights against the gritty elements of the game.And lets be clear here, HP do not always produce cinematic results. Opponents also have high HP. A tenth level PC fighting a 10th level NPC doesnt get any special treatment for being "the star". i am not saying D&D is devoid of the cinematic. There are elements of it. But their are other aspects of the game that shatter any full sense of cinematic play. I could maybe see an argument that 4E was a much more cinematic game. But to say D&D has always been consistently a cinematic game, simply because it includes the arguably cinematic  HP (and HP are used consistently) is not an argument I find persuasive.</blockquote>

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