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When has D&D rules ever had an emphasis on storytelling?

Hell, trying to build a P&P RPG that focus on storytelling effectively kills the spirit of the game. Turning it into a game to tag team game masters.

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Perhaps not an emphasis on story-telling, but definitely on role-playing. Back in my red and blue box days, and through years of 1st ed, the emphasis was on immersing yourself in character. Stories emerged from the setting and characters, but the focus, the fun, was about pretending to be a dwarf, elf, or wizard within that fantasy setting. That was layered on a game that was fundamentally about puzzle solving and resource management.

Later editions seemed to lose that, turning characters into game pieces and focusing far more on combat, tactics, and optimization and leaving less room for the roleplaying.

I'm sorry if you haven't played some of the better storytelling systems out there.

There are one-shot games like The Mountain Witch that are absolutely fantastic.

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