I’m used to paying almost no attention to stats aside from vaguely knowing what my character is better at, and threat them and the rolls in same way as I did when starting - don’t care what are the odds, don’t care about the roll, I just start with describing an action I want to do and figure out the stats as an afterthought. And it makes for such a better experience
Reading this again, it made me think about how it’s super important everyone is on the same page with play style and goals.
If I sat down expecting to play like fantasy special ops where everyone knows their role and is extremely competent, but one person wanted to play goofball “whose line is it anyway?” I would probably be pissed. It’s not that either of us are playing wrong, but we’re essentially playing two different games.
To me, in that scenario, if the goofball signed up to play the healer archetype and is instead bashing rats with their staff or trying to start a rat burger business with the cave goblins, it feels like they’re not doing their job. They’re a catcher that’s not behind the plate, or a shortstop who wandered off to center field, to make baseball metaphors. We definitely could have a fun afternoon sitting in the grass watching the clouds, but we instead agreed to play baseball. Get in position.
From their perspective I’m probably taking things too seriously and who cares about all that combat and rules? I do. I care. If you don’t want to play a rules heavy combat game why are you in a DND group? Play fate or bitd or some pbta games. I would love to do that. But like, intentionally. Where we all agreed on what we’re doing.
Which brings me to the worst combination here: someone who wants a light fun game without all the complicated rules, but refuses to play anything other than DND. Though that’s probably because DND is a mega brand and some people don’t know what else is out there.
Anyway. I apparently have some pent up frustrations here.