GMMichael
Guide of Modos
Players decide what their character attempts, not what they do.
Well, in Modos RPG, you wouldn't tell the player that she failed. Success/fail is just as old as Prince Valiant. You'd tell her that she got an unfavorable result (a "Con"), and then the player would "let the other players know what the contest result means." The GM would guide that as needed to keep the story rolling.Suppose the player says I wink at the maiden to soften her heart.
And the GM replies OK, that's a Difficulty 4 Presence check. . . Now, what is true in the fiction? From the failure, we know it's not true that the PC winked at the maiden and softened her heart. Is it true that the PC winked at the maiden? Who gets to decide that, and according to what principles? Is it true that the PC winked? Who gets to decide that, and according to what principles?
. . . I don't think you can answer by saying the player decides what the PC does - because if this was true, then the player could decide that the PC softens the maiden's heart with a wink. Yet we know that has been taken off the table in virtue of the failed check result.
An old wise man once said:
So, is it true that the PC winked? Yes - it's not difficult. Or yes - it's something you could do as your character. Is it true that the PC winked at the maiden and softened her heart? Evidently not, since we're using succeed/fail mechanics here. But, since I've already weighed in on the winking part: no - heart softening is difficult/more difficult than winking. Or no - it's not something your character could do (with a simple wink).1) Player control is based on difficulty. Clutching a sword is easy. Swinging a sword (at least the first few times) is easy. Attacking an orc is more difficult. Killing said orc is (probably) far more difficult. Player agency ends where difficulty begins.
2) Does the game require the players to act -through- their characters? As in, you can do whatever you want, as long as it's something you could do as your character. The GM doesn't often have this limitation. Does the GM want to place a volcano in the middle of town? Done. No character needed.