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The way D&D 5ed best do grity reality is to provide 1st level play at the level it does, rather than start out at current 3rd level power (like some advokate would be better). If you want to keep it gritty, just never level. the rules actually never tell any situation that has to trigger xp or...

First let me say, I love your questions! They are really thought provoking. Next I have to admit you here mention 3 games I actually haven't read either of (Something that surprises me!). It also surprises me that classic traveler do not have rule 0. Torchbearer have burningwheel roots as far as...

Cool! I can see that this is a design tradeoff a game might take to improve split group experience. If you are accepting as a premise of your game that there will be significant amount of time where there are situations where a player cannot actively affect happens in the now, then falling back...

Ah, that is really triggering another insight. There are flexibilities on different timescales. My statement was with timescale of within a single session, while your argument is in the timescale from one game to the next. PbtA games tend to be quite rigid with regard to how a spesific session...

During set piece battles? (That was the issue one I was pointing at in the paragraph you quoted). Do they handle it in a way that isn't easily imported to a D&D game? (As per my other paragraph) I think maybe I should add that I am here talking about the strict flexibility of being able to run...

With regard to DM controll and flexibility. I have a hard time imagining any system not handing a GM rule 0 control ever being more flexible than any system that grant rule 0 controll. So D&D without any more qualifiers are incredibly flexible, as it has rule 0. As far as I am aware this is...

I don't get this. Some of my most memorable D&D moments happened with temporarily split groups. I agree that if you are playing 5ed and a portion of the group get themselves into a setpiece battle, you might have stumbled upon something that at first might seem like an achilles heel due to the...

A key observation is that the DMG is only meant to be known by one player, and are also very clearly stated to be guidlines and suggestions rather than rules. It hence serves no role in setting expectations as to what the activity would entail when inviting players to "play D&D". However the...

Exactly, as combat mode is one of the key situation the rules of D&D 5ed is not really delegating rule making power to the DM. Rule 0 is technically still in play, but the procedures at work in this mode is so tightly defined by the book that the DM cannot really say anything without coming in...

I like the idea of dynamic initiative system depending on the situation. I have played with the thought quite a bit myself. The main deterrent I have found is that rulings with regard to which system to use might be of disproponate importance to players with characters that have taken features...

Another insight I got while reading trough this thread: I think a central concept here actually is delegation of control. For any game the primary source of control is the game rules made by the designer, as that outlines the written socially accepted basis for the activity you have agreed to...

I unfortunately don't have time to read trough all to see if this has been answered by others, or if the conversation has completely shifted. I think I see what you are getting at. If we are restraining ourself to the out of combat mode, The tools for DMs of D&D isn't plentiful, nor...

I agree to this. I was sloppy with my thinking and hence expression. A more refined take expressing the point I try ro make is that the design idea of making it tight rather than loose are to compensate for GM weaknesses. (Like the weakness of not understanding the point of the design and hence...

But in this situation the GM did use a tool from the D&D toolbox? The ability check is that tool. And while it wasn't used in a context described in the book, that doesn't invalidate its use as a tool, any less than using hammers for anything else than putting nails trough tree mean you get no...

I think an interesting point here is that combat is the odd one out. Indeed D&D can be seen as having 2 modes. When we are talking about DM having complete control, we are mainly talking about the mode of play that happens outside combat. Once combat needs handling D&D try to take almost as...

This is a bit surprising. To me it seemed obvious most "tighter" systems are specifically designed to compensate for potential GM's weaknesses. Listing some examples: Tight encounter budgets compensates for DMs not having the sense for what would be appropriate challenges. Tight structure...

I feel like this is going a bit off topic, but I feel like I should point out that the D&D toolbox actually provide a huge number of components for this "simple" solution that enables the suggested way to resolve it both highly effective to communicate, and much richer in gameplay opportunities...

I think this is actually a critical observation. By giving DMs relatively unrestricted control over many aspects of the game, the strongest side of the system is using it for the approach the DM best masters. Some DMs are naturally able to weave together the ideas of players and a third party...

Ah, let me clarify! I am not arguing threat points wouldn't be without  merit in this situation. I merely commented on the power dynamics involved. The adventure maker would be restrained from doing mistakes like introducing the tarrasques army without fully realising the consequences. My point...

This is a very interesting argument. Let me try to dive a bit deeper into the issue. Imagine there instead for one person being DM of a game, we had 4 separate players with the following roles: One player A describes all adventure content. The goal of this player is to make the game fun for the...