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This is the simulationist view that Reynard is contesting. The idea that the game world exists without constant curation by the GM. There's no such thing, unless you're running a World of Warcraft server. There can be a rule set that tells the GM what's happening - Gloomhaven might fall into...

By OP definition, I'd call non-dice-fudging "game mastering." You're thinking of story-focused play versus simulationist or gamist play. This is fair (don't forget the "deus-"), especially since the adjusting-AC-or-HP suggestions are effectively the same as fudging dice.

So, did the PC say, "I want the witness to keep her mouth shut," or "I want the witness to lie about what she saw?" Sure it does. All skills should be powers. All powers should be actions that have mechanical benefits. All mechanical benefits should be defined by WotC, and endlessly cleared...

I'd like the time-coded URL as proof of this. Because I can't sit through an entire Matt Colville video. Providing these "major benefits" would be nice. Oh, thanks. I wanted to see these, being in the No camp, myself: 1. This is a good idea, if for some odd reason the GM needs to establish...

Ah, the gray approach. If only D&D had an outcome between Succeed and Fail. Murderous people can be persuaded. Offer to buy them a round of drinks. Show them the grenade you stole from the national guard. Or my personal favorite, pull out your wallet picture of them as babies, being held by...

XP for kills :devil:

Way to throw down the gauntlet! 🤓 I'd agree with you that combat doesn't take precedence over other aspects of play, but this is a D&D thread.

A DM can roll in the open and still fudge the roll - the PCs don't know what bonuses the NPC gets on each roll. An opposed in-the-open roll gives PCs a good reason to hold their breath, waiting to see if they'll win the roll. That being said, mystery is more powerful in an RPG than being...

You're not overthinking; you're making sense. This is why Modos 2 doesn't have an Intimidate skill. Persuade is for changing minds about facts, and Deceive is for changing minds about falsehoods. While on the subject . . . persuade and deceive work only against intelligent creatures. You...

I think you mean pessimistic. To the extent that anything has meaning.

Guessing you meant "social skill checks" above, because "I want to use my skill to hop over the fence," isn't usually followed by, "okay, you think you hopped over the fence." Except, that's not what most skill checks do (that I've seen, anyway). A skill check, in D&D, is a success/failure...

Covers don't count. And Pandora makes sure I hear it on a daily basis.

Speak for yourself. I want good creatures in the game because I'm an equal-opportunity killer. And the bounties on evil creatures tend to have much more competition than those on good creatures.

So you think it's fine for a vampire to persuade a PC to be friends with her, but it's a bridge too far to get a PC to hand over his favorite magic item? Because handing over his life to the vampire is less valuable? There's not much I can say to that. I do this somewhat frequently. "The...

I can think of a couple competitors. Heck, an entire class of people comes to mind . . . Well, there's the old-fashioned way, as a statement of, "hey, don't run away from your masters or commit robbery." Being such a simple symbol, it could be used for just about anything. Anything starting...

Thanks for going outside your comfort zone for us! Be careful though - I heard the Great GURP rumble when you said a game without fluff isn't a game.

So I'm the only one who hasn't heard the term "zero day" before? I've heard of patient zero, but I think that's different. This Netflix show needs George Clooney in it.

At the D&D table. In some games, a player decides that she damages an NPC, and the dice say, "no, you didn't. " In others, the dice say "okay, but not very well." No, you don't cut a player. But you do threaten, bribe, mislead, and reward a player. As I said earlier, player and character...

Interesting distinction here. The player is in charge of making the choices (persuading someone) while the dice are in charge of deciding quality (as though the character had a silver tongue). So what happens when the player makes a choice about quality? Or what if a quality decision of the...

You'll probably encounter a good amount of gear-grinding because of action-type differences. Opportunity attacks are no longer a science in 5e. And there are probably broad-stroke differences in attack and damage bonuses, but those are just tinkering issues. So converting all the rules would...