D&D (2024) Do you plan to adopt D&D5.5One2024Redux?

[Maxperson]

Which is why we should retire 'meaningful consequence' in place of 'interesting consequence'.

Because yes, missing your boat can be a meaningful consequence, that consequence is sitting around looking stupid until another means of transportation comes around.

Is it, though? Why would you sit around if you can't get a boat instead of finding another way? I mean if you deliberately make things uninteresting by sitting around on your rears until another boat comes along, I suppose it would be uninteresting, but that would be on you and not the DM or the game.

 

[Maxperson]

Yes, because ridiculous strawmen hyptheticals are so conducive to actually carrying forward a conversation.

It's not a Strawman at all. You've said it should always work no matter what. That in game circumstances that make it implausible for you to find a boat shouldn't be an issue because it's the DM's opinion about what is implausible and not yours.

Should it work in a landlocked town with no boats, or are there circumstances like the above circumstance where the ability would not work?

 

[James Gasik]

Yes, because ridiculous strawmen hyptheticals are so conducive to actually carrying forward a conversation.

Sure, every player is out to screw over your campaign, so, better keep that DM pimp hand strong to make sure that the players aren't exploiting the game.

And I'm getting questioned over why I think that DM's are only doing this to exercise authority over the game? When every example of players in this thread is players being completely unreasonable and every poor, put upon DM is only trying their level best to bring an interesting game.

I didn't think this example of play had anything to do with players being unreasonable.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Is it, though? Why would you sit around if you can't get a boat instead of finding another way? I mean if you deliberately make things uninteresting by sitting around on your rears until another boat comes along, I suppose it would be uninteresting, but that would be on you and not the DM or the game.

Think about the reasons to get a boat in the first place.

Sure, if it's just an expedient trip down river, 'find another way' is an option, but if you're going to an island, crossing a huge body, or basically any other reason to get on the guaranteed date with the worst combat experience in D&D - aquatic combat - you're going to need another boat.

This is essentially the same problem as when the Dm or adventure sets up having to pass a skill check to find a piece of evidence or signpost to advance the plot and then that check is failed: it's having a chance of failure when there's not only no good reason to include the possibility of failure, but failure results in stalling things.

Ultimately, the balance of having a meaningless check for 'realism' vs having a character moment and improv opportunity in explaining the implementation of the background that lets the PC get that passage without that check seems pretty obvious to me.

 

[Maxperson]

Think about the reasons to get a boat in the first place.

Sure, if it's just an expedient trip down river, 'find another way' is an option, but if you're going to an island, crossing a huge body, or basically any other reason to get on the guaranteed date with the worst combat experience in D&D - aquatic combat - you're going to need another boat.

This is essentially the same problem as when the Dm or adventure sets up having to pass a skill check to find a piece of evidence or signpost to advance the plot and then that check is failed: it's having a chance of failure when there's not only no good reason to include the possibility of failure, but failure results in stalling things.

Ultimately, the balance of having a meaningless check for 'realism' vs having a character moment and improv opportunity in explaining the implementation of the background that lets the PC get that passage without that check seems pretty obvious to me.

You could go to the triton embassy to try and secure underwater passage. You can try to locate a scroll that will allow ethereal travel. You can see you if you can locate a teleportation circle in town and a wizard who knows a pattern to a place on the other side. You can...

There are almost always other things you can try other than sitting on your collective rears and waiting for the next boat.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

not today Satan.

Deleted

 

[AnotherGuy]

You could go to the triton embassy to try and secure underwater passage. You can try to locate a scroll that will allow ethereal travel. You can see you if you can locate a teleportation circle in town and a wizard who knows a pattern to a place on the other side. You can...

There are almost always other things you can try other than sitting on your collective rears and waiting for the next boat.

Downtime and the roleplaying of downtime is also a very much under-appreciated tool in these types of scenarios I suspect by many tables. If no other means of transportation is available, characters should find interesting/rewarding ways to pass the time while they wait for the next ride.

There's a lot of inspirational ideas players and DMs can come up with and experience makes you (player or DM) better.

 

[Vaalingrade]

You could go to the triton embassy to try and secure underwater passage. You can try to locate a scroll that will allow ethereal travel. You can see you if you can locate a teleportation circle in town and a wizard who knows a pattern to a place on the other side. You can...

There are almost always other things you can try other than sitting on your collective rears and waiting for the next boat.

Or the DM could let it go and let the PC use their feature and get on with it.

DM around here complain all the time about not wanting to mire the perfect integrity of their precious world, but now they have to drop in an embassy of canonical xenophobes or a setting-altering teleportation circle just to justify forcing a roll for an inconsequential travel montage?

Imagine taking an in-world weeks-long diversion from the story you're all invested in because your DM doesn't want you using your character's background and then you rolled a 1. Hell, imagine being someone else are the table that got derailed by these shenanigans and having zero input.

 

[Maxperson]

Or the DM could let it go and let the PC use their feature and get on with it.

DM around here complain all the time about not wanting to mire the perfect integrity of their precious world, but now they have to drop in an embassy of canonical xenophobes or a setting-altering teleportation circle just to justify forcing a roll for an inconsequential travel montage?

Imagine taking an in-world weeks-long diversion from the story you're all invested in because your DM doesn't want you using your character's background and then you rolled a 1. Hell, imagine being someone else are the table that got derailed by these shenanigans and having zero input.

I think what a lot of you aren't getting is that for a lot of us, it's not a diversion or mucking around with the integrity of the world. Roleplaying is what the game is about. All of it. You're talking apples to our oranges. And really, what lack of integrity?

"Tritons guard the ocean depths, building small settlements beside deep trenches, portals to the elemental planes, and other dangerous spots far from the eyes of land-bound folk. Long-established guardians of the deep ocean floor, in recent years the noble tritons have become increasingly active in the world above."

It's not a stretch or lack of integrity to use that as saying that in recent years the xenophobia has waned a bit and they have an embassy in this town.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Which is why we should retire 'meaningful consequence' in place of 'interesting consequence'.

I'm of the opinion that both of these can serve as tools for rewarding roleplaying sessions.
We shouldn't be afraid to use hard fails to get the players thinking, but we also shouldn't ONLY use hard fails, because fail forwards or success at cost can drive the story in very interesting directions but if one knows that hard fails are off the table then it diminishes consequences.

I evaluate each action within the context of the fiction and determine from there what would work best for that scenario.