Neonchameleon
Legend
No. That's a "rules-light vs rules-heavy" or a "combat vs out-of-combat rules" example.
When most people say 'simulationism', they don't mean lots of rules, for everything. they mean rules that are intended to be consistent with the fluff.
most sim complaints involve existing mechanics, not the lack thereof.
Yes. And if they came from GURPS players I'd take them more seriously. As they come from players of older editions of D&D I find them amusing.
e.g. 4e has rules for exceptionally cool martial tricks, but there is no good in-game explanation for why they can be pulled-off exactly once per day / per fight.
As opposed to no times... But there are several reasons that work. Opportunity, preparation, blessing, pulling out all the stops. 3e had no better reason for why Barbarian Rage could be pulled off exactly a set number of times per day.
it has rules to grab or poison things, even things that don't look grabbable or poisonable so you have to come up with tortured explanations for how it works story-wise.
So does 3e. *shrug* Older editions have no consistent grappling rules. So you either need DM fiat (and that's going to be different from table to table and 90% of implementations are going to be bad) or to be unable to grapple.
I don't see people complaining about minions because they're not fleshed-out. they just dislike the same creature having different mechanics depending on whether it's a minion, regular monster or NPC.
What do you mean "The Same Creature"? By the RAW, the exact same creature is never in more than one category. Or do you mean the same type of creature? In which case that's a pure 3e objection. And why shouldn't a six year old use different mechanics from a member of the town guard and him from the Royal Champion?
and, to keep this on topic, they don't complain about the lack of a battle grid, they complain about grids and movement rules they don't find believable.
It's faster. *shrug* Especially for calculating spells. 2e fireball underground, anyone?
And my core problem with pre-4e is that I need to sit there like a lemon if I'm playing a fighter. When I fight with sword and shield I drive forwards, pushing most people back. Tide of Iron is an at will. If you have the battlemat at all and I can't do this easily I'm going to find the combat system too limiting to be credible. A lack of rules easily breaks simulation.
same for healing surges etc…
I find healing surges more plausible than the straight hit point model. And that's without going into issues like Cure Light Wounds doing less as the character level increases.