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<blockquote data-quote="Saeviomagy" data-source="post: 5142829" data-attributes="member: 5890">That's kind of like arguing that starcraft is essentially laser squad. The two games are only in the same genre in a thematic sense: realistically they're so different that no sane comparison is possible. Nethack is a strategic game, diablo is an action game.As for the issue of inflating numbers: the one positive thing that number inflation achieves is so the game keeps moving on to new things (at least outside of combat). A 10ft deep pit trap becomes a non-issue very rapidly. The pits have to get deeper and deeper, and eventually pits are done. The campaign must rely on something else. Escalating combat numbers do the same thing for goblins, orcs etc etc. The impassable becomes passable and then passe. That structure gives the DM control over where the game goes.Unfortunately some other elements of D&amp;D destroy that whole guiding approach: monsters also tend to become capable of preventing escape through faster movement or crippling effects, or skipping the phase of combat where players might consider it by simply doing so much damage that the fight is over before the players make a meaningful choice. Otherwise you could lay out a world with these creatures of varying power and let the players go where they want. They'd meet a dragon, be unable to hit it, survive a round of auto-hits and decide that they should leg it. As is, they meet the dragon and either die during the round of auto-hits, or leg it and get eaten anyway.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Saeviomagy, post: 5142829, member: 5890"] That's kind of like arguing that starcraft is essentially laser squad. The two games are only in the same genre in a thematic sense: realistically they're so different that no sane comparison is possible. Nethack is a strategic game, diablo is an action game. As for the issue of inflating numbers: the one positive thing that number inflation achieves is so the game keeps moving on to new things (at least outside of combat). A 10ft deep pit trap becomes a non-issue very rapidly. The pits have to get deeper and deeper, and eventually pits are done. The campaign must rely on something else. Escalating combat numbers do the same thing for goblins, orcs etc etc. The impassable becomes passable and then passe. That structure gives the DM control over where the game goes. Unfortunately some other elements of D&D destroy that whole guiding approach: monsters also tend to become capable of preventing escape through faster movement or crippling effects, or skipping the phase of combat where players might consider it by simply doing so much damage that the fight is over before the players make a meaningful choice. Otherwise you could lay out a world with these creatures of varying power and let the players go where they want. They'd meet a dragon, be unable to hit it, survive a round of auto-hits and decide that they should leg it. As is, they meet the dragon and either die during the round of auto-hits, or leg it and get eaten anyway. [/QUOTE]

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