Why play a game where your players are out in a situation where they are threatened with physical violence and need a ton of combat rules to resolve it? Why not just be satisfied with all the non combat resolution things? Why not just let the players auto succeed on all combat?Something to consider: Why would I, as DM, put myself in a situation where I would have to set up an interrogation or torture scene and create special mechanics that allows me to control what a character says, when I can just have my NPCs get that information from a divination spell or gathering information on the street or scrying or some other means already at my disposal? Why am I not happy with the player deciding what to divulge in these situations? Like what is going on here exactly?
Because the inspirational literature has fights?
I might argue that the inspirational literature has people captured or beguiled non-magically? The later seems ick and the former feels like it doesn't happen that often though.
But why let the PCs have a chance of doing it to NPCs then if it isn't common in the genre.
"It's what the rules say" seems like a fine answer to why someone would be on with the asymmetry between PC and NPCs, or between physical failure and mental failure.
Continuing on about an it makes no it seem to me like it's more than just the rules though and that there is something intrinsically we value more about mental control than physical control.