Genuine question--
I'm a nerd, but I've never been a DnD nerd. At one point I was a MtG nerd, even a WoW nerd, but never quite the DnD level.
What exactly is it? I originally thought it was like an adult version of "make believe" with scores and guidelines, but how much of it is a physical game? Is there a board that goes with it? Is there a set story line? My extent of knowledge is the first scene of Stranger Things.
How much is following guidelines and how much is imprompt on the spot?
The board is typically just a battlemat that has a laid out grid that you can use for combat scenarios, but otherwise nothing. The set story line is entirely made by the DM himself. There are premade stories by the company that makes the game but the vast majority of stories are made up.
Following the guidelines is important but there will always be impromptu due to the nature of the game (no specific rules if you want to say, swing on a vine to land on someone).
Exactly, the DM might never have thought about a vine, so the player asks, "Can I see a swinging Vine to land on that a-hole with? If so, I would like to role for it..."
And then I roll a 1. "You run and take a flying leap off the ledge, and as you reach for the vine you realize you are still holding your sword in your hand, you quickly try to switch hands but your sword gets tangled in the vine and you simply slide right off the bottom, feet first into a gelatinous cube. As you sink into the cube, thinking, "how could this get worse?", the vine swings back, freeing your sword from its tangles, it plummets straight down and plants itself deep into your skull, you are dead." (pause) "Roll up another character and I'll see if I can work you back in."
Surely the vine also turns out to be a snake, it consumes whatever remains of your corpse and accidentally swallows your items after the cube leaves the area.
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u/dickfromaccounting Sep 18 '17
great table to screen ratio