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I think this is like most of these columns - saying something without saying anything at all. "we need to stick to things that make sense and resonate with you" Well, that's great; I'd be interested in hearing about how those things relate to the choices players have, but I guess that you...

I used it as the basis for a lot of little rules I had, though I preferred the original 2E table instead of the R&E Command rule. I apparently made a rule for auto-fire weapons that used that table. Yeah, that's pretty much how it worked, though looking at my rules now I see they are very...

I used a house rule to determine how much one skill could help with another. The first situation was where the PCs were making some fake IDs. One PC had good forgery skills (whatever it's called) and the other PC was a good computer programmer. The programmer wrote some software to help the...

Oh, right, yeah. I never looked at it like that before - I assumed that the PCs could figure out what their foes were doing (and vice-versa), except in extreme situations. That's probably too generous. So I guess I am not avoiding dissociated mechanics at all! I could put in a "know try to...

I guess, yeah. I mean, everyone's acting during the round at the same time, but some characters do end up going first. I would hope it would be zero! I think there's miscommunication going on between us, though - the players are supposed to know what the dragon is doing because their...

You don't - everyone knows what everyone else is going to do (as long as that information would be available; invisible characters can declare secretly, and the DM remains impartial as he must at all times). You can change your action for the round at any time during the declaration phase. At...

As far as I understand dissociated mechanics, it's where you make a decision as a player that your character cannot. Since characters don't stand around waiting for other characters to take their turns during a round, players should not be making decisions based on the information that you have...

I find that turn-based initiative is a dissociated mechanic. That's why I dropped it from my game.

I don't use initiative in my D&D hack. Everyone declares what they're doing for the round at the same time. Players can change their action based on what other characters are doing. Then we roll to resolve those actions. I have been playing a little d6 Star Wars lately. I have a slightly...

If they wear armour, they don't get to add XP to their Mage class.

My quick thoughts: 1. Build a mantlet and approach it under cover. 2. Use a scroll of dimension door to get in. 3. Wait them out. Build your own wall outside and hang out there until they starve to death. (Unlikely, they probably have create food and water.) 4. Summon something to destroy...

Yeah, they just started to feel out of place. I think the breaking point was when a PC with a spear stabbed a guy in the face with a crit and (being 4E-based) he still had about half his HP.

My "no, that doesn't work" is more often "I just don't see it" and then I follow up with my own viewpoint, which is meant to be an invitation to discussion. I don't have a problem with players specifying the effects of their actions but I prefer that it's in the form of an action the character...

Maybe... I think the easiest example would be tripping an ooze. So you've got a 4E Fighter with Spinning Sweep (I think - the first-level encounter power that knocks prone and does 1[W] on a hit) and you use it on an ooze. The DM says, "No, that doesn't work, it's an ooze, it can't go prone."...

I don't think you've got this wrong, but some elaboration is probably necessary for continued exchange. What I mean by "fictional positioning" is that what your character can do in the game is based on the "fiction" - that is, what's happening to your character, and all the little details that...

Just wanted to say that I liked this column, KM (can't XP), as well as many of the responses (can't XP, again). I think there are a lot of good voices on EN World at the moment.

I don't think I'm a "deep immersionist", so maybe this is wrong. But this is my take: In deep immersion, you feel what the character feels. If the PC is afraid, so are you. If you're not afraid and the PC is, then there's an issue. Anything that disrupts that one-to-one relationship between...

Isn't this the whole idea behind dissociated mechanics? I think so, though I could be wrong - I don't have an issue with mechanics like this; I don't find them harmful to my immersion or my ability to play a role, so I have trouble understanding the theory. At any rate, I can see why people...

Here is my answer to that issue: WIZARDS AND SPELLS SPELL is an arcane term for the controlled energy of creation. A usable pattern forms through the study of the raw elements of creation - a way of thinking that allows the caster to create something out of nothing. The mortal mind cannot...

Yep, I like it. Immersive, simple, no "button-pushing", resolution is wrapped up in PCs actions instead of a chunk of text in the book, perfectly fitting for the class or character, and other stuff!