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<blockquote data-quote="KarinsDad" data-source="post: 3191903" data-attributes="member: 2011">It's funny how some people equate fiction with gaming. Gaming rarely goes the way of fiction unless the DM goes out of his way to railroad the storyline or creates a Deus Ex Machina situation (like the Axe of the Dwarven Lords example you just gave):<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina</a>In fiction, the author is in total control and can make sure that the situation gets resolve. In DND, this can also happen, but like the Deus Ex Machina examples in that link, it can often feel contrived to players.For some players, contrivance is no big deal. The DM can pull the most illogical situations out of his butt and some players will not bat an eye. Other players are jarred out of their suspension of disbelief by such events and situations. For them, the game is suddenly not as much fun or even annoying.And unlike fiction, DND encounter balance assumes a certain amount of equipment. If the DM wipes out 75% of the Fighter's equipment and only 10% of the Cleric's equipment, the player of the Cleric is not feeling the pinch as much as the player of the Fighter. In fiction, it matters not if Conan only has a loincloth. Conan is not a real person who is putting real time into a gaming session.The difference is that fiction is totally created and under the control of the author whereas DND is a game created by all of the players at the table, not just the DM. If the DM has to go out of his way to contrive a situation such as the one you just described, I know I would typically be jarred out of my suspension of disbelief.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="KarinsDad, post: 3191903, member: 2011"] It's funny how some people equate fiction with gaming. Gaming rarely goes the way of fiction unless the DM goes out of his way to railroad the storyline or creates a Deus Ex Machina situation (like the Axe of the Dwarven Lords example you just gave): [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina[/url] In fiction, the author is in total control and can make sure that the situation gets resolve. In DND, this can also happen, but like the Deus Ex Machina examples in that link, it can often feel contrived to players. For some players, contrivance is no big deal. The DM can pull the most illogical situations out of his butt and some players will not bat an eye. Other players are jarred out of their suspension of disbelief by such events and situations. For them, the game is suddenly not as much fun or even annoying. And unlike fiction, DND encounter balance assumes a certain amount of equipment. If the DM wipes out 75% of the Fighter's equipment and only 10% of the Cleric's equipment, the player of the Cleric is not feeling the pinch as much as the player of the Fighter. In fiction, it matters not if Conan only has a loincloth. Conan is not a real person who is putting real time into a gaming session. The difference is that fiction is totally created and under the control of the author whereas DND is a game created by all of the players at the table, not just the DM. If the DM has to go out of his way to contrive a situation such as the one you just described, I know I would typically be jarred out of my suspension of disbelief. [/QUOTE]

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