[tstrimple]

I tend to agree re the complexity of D&D. The combat is much too abstract and unrealistic for my tastes. I gravitate more towards a game system like GURPS for gritty realistic games of any genre because it simulates combat so much more effectively. If I want to shoot someone through their left eye as they race past on a motorcycle there are calculations for the penalty to hit which include the range, speed lighting and other variables. I can certainly understand why folks wouldn’t want that level of detail in their combat and prefer a more abstract system. When I want to focus on the role playing and story telling aspect of these games, systems like Dread or Fiasco are fantastic. D&D seems to want to try to have things both ways but its combat and skill abstractions feel awkward and limiting.