![]() ![]() When D&D actually had three pillars, when dungeons were dangerous and the game prized creativity and alternate approaches, its wargaming core was nicely nestled among all the other components that made the game. I’d also argue that Fifth Edition D&D is making this worse. While it’s hard to argue that violence isn’t a broadly popular medium for conflict (with the exception of Tetris, the top five best-selling video game franchises of all time are all about fighting at some level), I would argue that we don’t need it to be a central pillar in RPGs anymore. The trouble with combat in RPGs is that it being a central mechanic is from historical precedent, not good design. White Wolf games, though, especially Vampire:the Masquerade, revealed the distinct liability of designing a game, regardless of genre or intended primary activity, with a wargame-like combat system at its center. White Wolf games prized intrigue and social dynamics over outright violence, though both clearly had a place. By 1983 we had Call of Cthulhu, where few or none of the foes within the game were intended to be ‘taken on’ in a violent manner. To be fair, even back to the earliest editions of D&D there were more interesting things going on than just monsters to slay. ![]() After nearly fifty years of evolution, I’d argue that role-playing games shouldn’t only concern themselves with killing and dying. ![]() Role-playing games need not merely concern themselves with killing and dying. The problem is that, derivative as they are, role-playing games are not wargames. And as the eponym of wargame is war, it’s pretty clear that all wargames have concerned themselves with killing and dying all the way back to the invention of chess. The through-line from Chainmail to Dungeons and Dragons is an undisputed point of historical record, and the through-line from Dragon Pass to RuneQuest pretty much the same. Role-playing games have their origins from wargames. ![]()
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