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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AnotherGuy" data-source="post: 9578430" data-attributes="member: 7029930">Noted, thanks.Yes, if one compares D&D to RM (which I had several sessions experience with in the 90's) you are correct in that D&D falls extremely short on that front.Now is that to say that no simulation mechanics exist, surely not. IMO they are just very poor. The HD mechanic, however abstract, is something the game uses to denote a range of things including toughness.Historically I've shown you, how HD has been used for age categories of monsters.Armour Class in all the editions (besides 4e) is not affected by HD but by other elements (armour worn, hardness of skin/scales, dexterity modifier etc.)Damage is dependent on size, weapon used and ability modifier etc again for all editions (besides 4e).You do not have an argument from me that it is a poor mechanic, but that is the mechanic the game does use and to say it is not part of the fiction discounts any information HD does communicate.Why does a 5e Treant (Huge Creature) have 12d12 HD and a Twig Blight (Small Creature) have 1d6You may argue it is the size? But I can show you medium sized creatures with 12HD.You may argue it is the age? But I can show you an old creature with with 1HD.Surely it is primarily because a Treant can sustain more damage. Now if I convert a Treant to have the same HD as a Twig Blight, then I'm ignoring ANY and ALL work HD tells us (no matter how poorly).The way I see it, a minion uses mechanics in service of a narrative.Which is absolutely fine, I'm playing high level and I love the idea of being able to emulate what we have seen in movies with this meta-game concept (i.e. in Starship Troopers originally it took them hundreds of bullets to kill the soldier bugs, towards the end they were killing them easily).I suspect this is very much many roleplayers' experience of that time! It certainly was mine too.I played a handful of times as a player and I was certainly blown away by the level of detail in the game. I thought about it but I think it was the financial investment at the time that didn't see me go through with it - that and I had the D&D books to play.I wish I had done what you did, it would certainly have saved me from needless tinkering with every newer D&D edition.I promised my table I would see our current 5e campaign through till level 20, so I'm busy for a few more years doing D&D.We have a much slower progression than norm.</blockquote>

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