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7/5/2025, 1:20:45 AM
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7/3/2025, 11:16:04 PM
What do you think of the tactical vs. narrative split of D&D-adjacent, non-OSR games?
To be clear, my definition of "D&D-adjacent game" is "an RPG that specializes in letting a sturdy warrior, an agile skirmisher, a wizardly or musical spellcaster, and a more priestly or knightly spellcaster fight humanoid and goblinoid bandits on the road, oozes and undead in trap- and treasure-filled dungeons, cultists and corrupt nobles in big cities, and maybe even demons and dragons, all in a fantasy world."
Since the start of last June, the one system I have been playing and GMing most often is Draw Steel. It is a grid-based tactical combat RPG heavily inspired by D&D 4e, though it shares elements with other 4e-adjacent games, such as the nominative initiative mechanic of ICON. I really like playing these games; I have playtested some indie titles along such lines, such as Tactiquest and Tacticians of Ahm. I like looking at a tactical grid, considering the distinct powers I have, and figuring out how to best apply them. I also like 13th Age 2e, even though it does not actually use a grid, because it still adheres to the same overall structure of tactical combat.
Then there are the narrative games. I have played Dungeon World, GMed Homebrew World (with the follower rules from Infinite Dungeons), played and GMed Fellowship 1e, played and GMed Fellowship 2e, and GMed Chasing Adventure, all of which are fantasy PbtA games. I also GMed the quickstart of Daggerheart, a very PbtA-inspired system; I went a little further by running an encounter against the 95-foot-tall colossus Ikeri (who was one-turn-killed), a spellblade leader, and an Abandoned Grove environment. Unfortunately, none of these games have quite suited my GMing style. I like having concrete rules, and I dislike having to constantly improvise and fiat up rulings on the spot. I thought Daggerheart would turn around my opinion, but it just was not enough.
What do you make of this split?
To be clear, my definition of "D&D-adjacent game" is "an RPG that specializes in letting a sturdy warrior, an agile skirmisher, a wizardly or musical spellcaster, and a more priestly or knightly spellcaster fight humanoid and goblinoid bandits on the road, oozes and undead in trap- and treasure-filled dungeons, cultists and corrupt nobles in big cities, and maybe even demons and dragons, all in a fantasy world."
Since the start of last June, the one system I have been playing and GMing most often is Draw Steel. It is a grid-based tactical combat RPG heavily inspired by D&D 4e, though it shares elements with other 4e-adjacent games, such as the nominative initiative mechanic of ICON. I really like playing these games; I have playtested some indie titles along such lines, such as Tactiquest and Tacticians of Ahm. I like looking at a tactical grid, considering the distinct powers I have, and figuring out how to best apply them. I also like 13th Age 2e, even though it does not actually use a grid, because it still adheres to the same overall structure of tactical combat.
Then there are the narrative games. I have played Dungeon World, GMed Homebrew World (with the follower rules from Infinite Dungeons), played and GMed Fellowship 1e, played and GMed Fellowship 2e, and GMed Chasing Adventure, all of which are fantasy PbtA games. I also GMed the quickstart of Daggerheart, a very PbtA-inspired system; I went a little further by running an encounter against the 95-foot-tall colossus Ikeri (who was one-turn-killed), a spellblade leader, and an Abandoned Grove environment. Unfortunately, none of these games have quite suited my GMing style. I like having concrete rules, and I dislike having to constantly improvise and fiat up rulings on the spot. I thought Daggerheart would turn around my opinion, but it just was not enough.
What do you make of this split?
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