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Discussing the upsides and downsides of DMing approaches has nothing to do with people playing their own ways and enjoying it. Those two things are quite distinct and separate. There's no need for anyone to apologize here.

They'd have to endure me asking for clarification after their vague or uncommitted action declarations. It would not be ideal in my view, but perhaps the player has a learning difference that requires it. I would advise against framing approaches to the game as "dictatorial."

I've already said that several times upthread in various contexts. @Swarmkeeper even shared a document I created almost a decade ago showing I held the view that everyone can play however they want, and you appeared to reject that. I rather think that you're the one not able to let go. I'm more...

I'm sure if you search my posts for "in my view" or "in my experience" or "in my opinion" you'll find a lot of those instances. So no, I don't believe everything I say is fact. That would be another erroneous assertion on your part. Good thing there are no dictators around here. Perhaps we can...

Sometimes it's a fact, not an opinion. My only wonder is why someone would allow themselves to get worked up into a hostile state over discussing DMing approaches. We're talking about how a player describes smashing a vase. A little perspective, perhaps.

What do you do if you don't want to play in a game with explicit content and a player insists on introducing explicit content?

As stated already, it's an ask. Whatever it is you're driving at here, repeatedly, is not likely to happen. I would suggest leaving off on this.

If someone makes an incorrect assertion in a discussion, it's fair play in my view to call it out and explain why it's wrong.

Isn't discussing each other's expectations for the game what Session Zero is for? I say what I want, the players say what they want, we come to an agreement and move ahead? What I want is for the players to say how they smash the vase, so I can adjudicate and narrate their actions fairly without...

Discussing the upsides and downsides of approaches to the game or addressing erroneous assertions aren't the same thing as telling someone else how they should play.

Let's look at it from another angle: What would YOU do if a player was steadfastly refusing to play the game they signed up for?

I don't suggest anything of the sort. I explain why what I do works for the given goal and how other approaches can fall short of the goals those DMs may have. That is not saying anyone should do anything my way. Now, at my group's table, the expectation of the players and the DM is that the...

This looks like you are truly reaching now, and it might be worth asking yourself why you're doing that in a trivial conversation about DM techniques. In what circumstance are you imagining a player would be unwilling to say how they smash the vase? Does it seem reasonable to you to steadfastly...

For a lot of players, it is, particularly the ones that come from games where the DM goes out of their way to describe for the players what their own characters do. It's also common in my experience among players who have DMs that say "No" a lot. I discussed this already way uptread here. Based...

Again, and hopefully for the last time, I don't demand. I ask. If they aren't clear during play, I ask them to clarify. Over time, they learn to do it up front. Easy, and not adversarial, and avoids the potential problems discussed upthread.

I find this to be an unusual statement from someone who claims to be a teacher. Do your students always pick up a new concept the very first time you teach it? Or are there some that take a little bit of time to get adjusted?

I stand by what I wrote.

So far so good. My experience is that players embrace this really quickly, especially the ones who are used to the DM describing what their characters do for them. Many of them go on to complain about DMs in other games saying what they do, even when they've told the DM specifically what they...

As stated, goal and approach. What do you want to do and how do you go about that. "I smash the vase" is what you want to do. It does not mention how you go about it (e.g. with my bare hands, with mage hand knocking it to the ground, with the end of my staff, etc.). That information is needed to...

Please don't tell me I don't agree with someone when I do. I have no problem saying when I don't, as you can no doubt see. And Bacon Bits can speak for themselves. The players give me permission to make the ask (again, not the demand). They further buy in when I ask them for clarity, if needed...