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<blockquote data-quote="Ovinomancer" data-source="post: 7742715" data-attributes="member: 16814"><p>I disagree. The presented play procedures are as @Iserth keeps repeating: the DM narrates a scene, the players declare actions, the DM resolves the actions (via mechanics or declaration) and narrates the results. Wash, rinse, repeat. The amount of DM Empowerment is in the first and last parts, not the middle part. The players get the freedom to declare actions however they wish. They may declare impossible actions, to which the DM narrates failure, but the DM shouldn't be choosing player actions.</p><p></p><p>As for deciding what's best for the campaign and the player experience, under what metric is the DM determining this? What means does he use to divine this truth? What guidelines are there for adjudicating questions about what's best?</p><p></p><p>All rhetorical questions, to which I answer: there's nothing special about the DM that gives them special insight into what's best for the players. Yes, they have authorities <em>in the game</em> that surpass the player authorities, but this doesn't extend to the social contract at the table. If the players cede this authority, well and good, it's decided by that table, but the game does not empower the role of DM with special perception and wisdom to create the best possible game. It's far better to let the play at the table, without hidden superceding of player agency, let the game become awesome that imagine that DM's have special abilities to know when this infringement of agency will ultimately lead to a better outcome. I'm honestly staggered by the apparently unaware hubris of this statement.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ovinomancer, post: 7742715, member: 16814"] I disagree. The presented play procedures are as @Iserth keeps repeating: the DM narrates a scene, the players declare actions, the DM resolves the actions (via mechanics or declaration) and narrates the results. Wash, rinse, repeat. The amount of DM Empowerment is in the first and last parts, not the middle part. The players get the freedom to declare actions however they wish. They may declare impossible actions, to which the DM narrates failure, but the DM shouldn't be choosing player actions. As for deciding what's best for the campaign and the player experience, under what metric is the DM determining this? What means does he use to divine this truth? What guidelines are there for adjudicating questions about what's best? All rhetorical questions, to which I answer: there's nothing special about the DM that gives them special insight into what's best for the players. Yes, they have authorities [I]in the game[/I] that surpass the player authorities, but this doesn't extend to the social contract at the table. If the players cede this authority, well and good, it's decided by that table, but the game does not empower the role of DM with special perception and wisdom to create the best possible game. It's far better to let the play at the table, without hidden superceding of player agency, let the game become awesome that imagine that DM's have special abilities to know when this infringement of agency will ultimately lead to a better outcome. I'm honestly staggered by the apparently unaware hubris of this statement. [/QUOTE]
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