tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678893758046699062.post8248758454216574139..comments2024-03-19T01:33:48.163-04:00Comments on CROSS PLANES: Thinking About an Unpopular "Old School" OpinionCross Planeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258583245202567276noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678893758046699062.post-78047526669455636972019-11-18T08:11:38.665-05:002019-11-18T08:11:38.665-05:00I'm pretty sure the term TPK dates back to AD&...I'm pretty sure the term TPK dates back to AD&D, or earlier, for what its worth.<br />Death was fairly common. TSR made big bucks selling pads of characters sheets.Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678893758046699062.post-36579812898767883462019-11-18T06:51:20.745-05:002019-11-18T06:51:20.745-05:00I wouldn't worry what the insanity of the mino...I wouldn't worry what the insanity of the minority thinks. They just happen to be like that little barking dog, this small tiny thing that's really loud.. normally we just look at them and laugh as we walk by. Who cares what that Dude has to say, let them play the way they want, its all a game, we all play how we wish. No one can tell you how to play a game.The Evil Dungeon Masterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10825613960264448920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678893758046699062.post-50979080619931652472019-11-18T04:42:27.841-05:002019-11-18T04:42:27.841-05:00As a thought experiment, it would not be hard to i...As a thought experiment, it would not be hard to imagine a form of D&D where 0 Hp means the character is knocked out, and the consequences would range from "being left for dead after looted of all valuables" to "imprisoned by the bad guys". That is often the logic of adventure stories, and while these stories do not usually kill off their main characters, they are not lacking in consequences and drama. There are many ways to win, and many ways to lose. Perhaps all you lose is time - but that time will cost the princess you were planning to rescue her life (or she is married off to Count Evil).<br /><br />Would I enjoy playing in a game like that? Yes, if done right. But I do recognise that it is some steps removed from the old-school experience, both on a gameplay and aesthetic level. It would put both GM and players in a different frame of mind, and encourage different decisions. I have a regular player who is heavily into character development and plot, and does not take character death too well. But he does recognise that the threat of death (even the occasional senseless death) is part of the experience our games bring to the table. As you put it, it makes it "real". There is no reload button.<br /><br />But here is a third point: D&D (as designed and as regularly played) does have a peculiar form of plot armour in the form of healing magic and particularly <i>raise dead</i>. This is major departure from any kind of fiction, and it <i>does</i> cheapen injury and death, the same way D&D's mountains of gold pieces cheapen being a down-on-your-luck adventurer. In practice, mid- and high-level A/D&D PCs have a lot cushier time than the old-school aesthetic would suggest.Melanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07165894144553629675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678893758046699062.post-31897396905820344442019-11-18T03:56:08.707-05:002019-11-18T03:56:08.707-05:00Thank you! My prejudice is well earned from season...Thank you! My prejudice is well earned from seasons watching the completely insane attempt to inflict their bizarre version of reality on me. <br /><br />Rather more to the point, he’s simply wrong about old school play. He is demonstrating a fundamental ignorance to it. You can play without deaths if you want but don’t try to tell people it’s old school. That would be like telling someone that you’re a girl despite having a Y chromosome. Scott Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067161332003628237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678893758046699062.post-59398608220981955422019-11-18T03:43:18.923-05:002019-11-18T03:43:18.923-05:00Mr Anderson, I find you unreliable, and largely du...Mr Anderson, I find you unreliable, and largely due to your prejudice.mythusmagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10458869083534878283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678893758046699062.post-19220618191552659052019-11-18T01:00:14.563-05:002019-11-18T01:00:14.563-05:00On topic, I also disagree with his opinion (he'...On topic, I also disagree with his opinion (he's a dude in a dress.) You said it. I agree.<br /><br />Tangent: the longer it takes to make up a character, the less likely it is the DM will kill it. So tiny character sheets with scant data are far better and not just for the usual reasons: they reward good play by allowing bad play to have repercussions.Scott Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067161332003628237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678893758046699062.post-54344547311959613642019-11-18T00:51:33.588-05:002019-11-18T00:51:33.588-05:00Try not to take these people's opinions seriou...Try not to take these people's opinions seriously.<br /><br />Take them seriously of course because they mean to destroy you and me and everything we like. <br /><br />But their opinions are kind of garbage.Scott Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067161332003628237noreply@blogger.com