Now as you read this remember this was a survey he sent to D&D R&D. I ask, why send this to R&D? Hmmmmmmm?
Also, for friendly discussion - How much of this list do you agree with? I for one thinks this pretty much nails it for me.
The Essential D&D Mechanics
Not too long ago, I decided to send out a short survey to the members of D&D R&D. I asked them to make a list of the most important mechanical elements of D&D. The basic idea was to make a list of mechanics that, if any one of them were missing, you’d feel like you weren’t playing D&D. From the opposite perspective, these are mechanics that make you think of D&D when you see them in other games. Here’s the list:
-The six ability scores,Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma,as the categories for measuring a character’s abilities.
-Armor Class as the basic representation of a character’s defense.
-Alignment (Law v. Chaos, Good v. Evil) as a personal ethos and a force in the universe.
-Attack rolls made using a d20, with higher rolls better than lower ones.
-Classes as the basic framework for what a character can do.
-Damage rolls to determine how badly a spell or attack hurts you.
-Gold pieces as the standard currency for treasure.
-Hit dice or level as the basic measure of a monster’s power.
-Hit points as a measure of your ability to absorb punishment, with more powerful characters and creatures gaining more of them.
-Levels and experience points as a measure of power and a mechanic that lets characters become more powerful over time.
-Magic items such as +1 swords as a desirable form of treasure.
-Rolling initiative at the start of a battle to determine who acts first.
-Saving throws as a mechanic for evading danger.
-"Fire-and-forget" magic, with spellcasters expending a spell when casting it.
