iserith
Magic Wordsmith
If you assume a position is the default, but the system offers no impetus to take up that position, is it really the default position?
It might be more cogent to say that 5e 'forces' the /players/ to accept the central role of the DM by default. But DM Empowerment is not some empty buzzword, it's strongly informs the design of the system, which robustly supports it.
It's not clear to me you're following the chain of the conversation. My post was a response to an objection that D&D 5e forces the DM into a central role, as if the DM not being in a central role isn't always the case by the rules of any edition of D&D.
I do think "DM Empowerment" is an empty buzzword. Just like "Player Entitlement" is an empty buzzword. They are the weapons of the edition war as far as I'm concerned. It's used by one camp or another as a means of attack and you'll have to forgive me if I'm very suspicious of your use of it considering your stated positions in the past.