Detouring a bit from the D&D colonialism/bioessentialism discussion, something I want to talk about real quick is the pervasive idea that RPGs need detailed combat rules because otherwise it's just "cops and robbers" while social skills are fine being "roll a d20 I guess"

This is yet another example of received wisdom I've seen tossed around for decades as a justification for why D&D needs to spend 50x as much page space giving you rules for how to swing a polearm and cast fireballs as it does negotiation or wilderness survival, and it's bullshit

For starters let's just be honest with ourselves; all TRPGs are basically "cops and robbers," there's no objective standard for Combat Simulation Via Funny Dice, so ultimately no matter what game you're playing it's still wholly arbitrary and we should stop pretending otherwise

Beyond that though it's clear that you don't need pages of elaborate and detailed rules to have combat because there are games out there you can play right now in 2020 where combat is no more intensely systemized than negotiation or hooking your brain to the psychic maelstrom

So why have all these combat rules? I mean it's no great earthshattering revelation, they exist because the designers and the players want combat that is "satisfying" and "engaging" and maybe if you push them they'll admit they want combat that's "fun" and well, there you go

Doom Eternal has an immaculately constructed set of combat parameters. Enemies have specific weak points and behaviors, weapons have modifications and upgrades, you have something called a Blood Punch, all of it tuned towards creating a visceral and dynamic experience

They didn't do it to try and create a realistic demon-shooting experience! They did it because they wanted people to play the game and go "damn this is sick as hell" and play it some more, and this is exactly what D&D is trying to do too, don't get it twisted

Like I said, none of this is in any way a particularly novel take, but the whole "combat needs detailed rules because it's SPECIAL" thing needs to be dropped off a bridge if you're serious about analyzing games, it's old and outdated and not even remotely accurate

(The other way this argument falls apart is that the average elfgamer is in no way capable of eloquence or charm on the same level as their fictitious 18 Charisma dragonfucking bard, so if anything that's even more of an argument for ditching the arbitrary combat/noncombat split)