So I want to toss out an example, some specific rules from a game, and see what people think.
The Loadout rules from Blades in the Dark. For those who don’t know, before going on a Score, each PC decides if they have a Light, Medium, or Heavy Load. This determines the number of inventory slots that they have available during the mission.
Each PC also has a list of available gear to have with them, with most items taking one inventory slot. Some larger items take two, and certain small items of negligible size and weight take zero slots. There is standard gear available to all, and then gear that is specific to each playbook (class).
The player only selects their Load before play begins, setting the number of inventory slots available to them. What specific gear they actually have is determined during play. So if they come to a locked door, a player may declare that they have burglary tools, and mark it on their Loadout.
When discussing the way this works, it’s often cited as problematic by many folks. “Quantim inventory” and other labels get used to describe it.
Surely, this is largely a gamist element… I expect most folks would agree. There probably aren’t many here who would define this as a Simulation style mechanic.
And yet… it’s designed to mimic the ability of a competent criminal to have planned appropriately, and to have what they need. In this way, it’s removing the need for the player to make these choices, and is instead portraying how the character would so so.
It’s attempting to mimic the fictional world.
So based on what people are saying here, it’s actually a simulation.