Fifth Element said:
Monte's post did specifically mention that games shouldn't be completely freeform - if you're supposed to be good at hitting things with an axe, that should be in the rules to make sure it happens.
And suddenly, it becomes your main way of interacting with the world.
When all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail.
I think, as in most anything, it's a matter of finding the right balance. Giving the DM advice is certainly fine and good, but there's varying degrees of quality of advice, and there's no way to ensure a DM takes the advice.
I think 4e is interesting because it shows two extremes. In combat, almost everything was codified. Out of combat, almost nothing was. The result? IMXP, 4e encouraged you to get into a fight to solve your problems, rather than work outside of the combat system.
A game shows with its rules what it is interested in the details of, where it wants you to direct your attention. If the only rule that exists is "You can hit it with an axe," that's going to be what people do most of the time.
Which is why you want rules for a LOT of things your character can do, to encourage them to do it.
Which quickly becomes 3e: rules for every little thing.
I think what I'd like is a 3e philosophy with just broader, simpler, more flexible rules (a "Page 42," rather than a section on item hardness and a section on grappling and a section on disarming and a section on Diplomacy).
So you have rules for every little thing, or, rather, you have A RULE that covers almost any little thing, and that rule is flexible, modular, and adaptable.