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Why can't it be both? Honestly, I think that both you and Lanefan, by virtue of adhering to one specific style of worldbuilding, are unnecessarily constraining yourselves. My method is to start with a premise, likely an overarching theme and an antagonist, and "pre-author" the general situation...

Personally, I think the greatest failing of D&D is that it doesn't offer robust mechanical support outside of combat. 5E is particularly egregious given that the stated design goals included supporting all three "pillars" (combat, exploration, and interaction), but the rules didn't evolve to...

Great summation, and mirrors both my thoughts and experiences exactly.

I got the exact same impression.

Congrats. You're free to play the way you enjoy. That doesn't make your way the "right"way, but it seems that was the entire purpose of this thread - and we all knew it. Your inability to understand why I prefer to play a different way has no bearing on the validity of that playstyle. Happy gaming.

Sure it can. However, in my experience, a setting generated prior to play is much richer than one generated on the fly - whether it's the GM or the players doing the generating. Sure. If the player/PC wants to know what's down that road, they declare their action of walking down that road. The...

You're so cute, Pemerton, with your deliberately obtuse shtick. Clearly, if I have a ball and let you play with it - relinquish control, in other words - its no longer my ball. I will admit, for the sake of argument, that any GM who declares ownership over the campaign is overstepping. However...

Perhaps that's where the tension lies? A single high elf leader spends his lifetime dealing with a number of successive generations of wood elf leaders and their changing priorities. Or, you could decide that the wood elves make visits to the Feywild often enough that the age discrepancy, at...

I can only tell you how I run things in my game. If I have already placed the hidden map in my world, and I know where it is, the players will only find it in that place no matter what the dice say. They can't just roll to make it appear where they are looking. If, on the other hand, I have not...

In both of your examples, you accomplish a minute amount of general worldbuilding before play begins, allow your players to add some of the specifics, and then jointly accomplish the rest during actual play. Does that about sum it up? The default in D&D and in most campaigns is that the DM...

Then let's discuss this in terms of 4E. We'll assume, since it seems to be your preferred method, that the GM has accomplished zero worldbuilding. How do you frame the opening scene?

If the players are doing it, what exactly is the GM supposed to be doing? You've already answered your own question upthread. Worldbuilding is a device for the GM to keep his/her storytelling consistent.

The duplicate is an invalid target because hold person must target a creature, and the cleric is an invalid target because the caster must see him to target him. Either way, Jeremy's ruling that you posted buttoned up this issue a long time ago.

Fair enough, bud. You do you.

This type of scenario can work, but there's a certain amount of trust you have to earn with the players first. Players sign up to play D&D because they want to play heroes. They want to win! Yet, we see story after story of adversarial DMs that refuse to let the players earn a victory or spend...

And it's your prerogative to run your game that way. Just know, as a player, that ruling is a clue about how you run your game. It tells me what to expect, and I'll adjust how I approach your game accordingly. Sure. I'd call it "fighting defensively" and consider it an action. Sure. I'd say...

Is the target dragon friendly? If so, I'd make damn sure the simulacrum dragon had a goatee, ifyaknowwhatImeanandIthinkyoudo...

If your planned scenario requires the players to react in a certain way or it won't work, you need to rethink the scenario. Also, watch Unforgiven. Remember that in D&D terms, your PCs are generally going to be William Munny, not random civilians. Also, also, real world people survive gunshot...

If I, as a player, am expecting an ambush and specifically state that my character is staying alert for ambushes, I'm expecting some kind of advantage on the Perception check to spot an ambush. If you, as the DM, deny me that advantage, we're going to have words. As a DM, I've learned not to be...

Lovecraft meets the Dark Crystal in a western.