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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Primal" data-source="post: 4108131" data-attributes="member: 30678">So you would just tell them that "You can't pick it up... POOF! It vanishes into thin air!" or something like that? And really, in my opinion the DM *always* tries to cater to his players, at least to some extent. You run the game *for* them, right? If my players want to play kobolds in a humanoid-themed campaign, it's my job to provide it to them. If they want to play black-hearted, backstabbing villains, I'll do it. I'm not writing all that stuff just to amuse myself or prove how creative I can be -- I'm writing so that at least the guys are having a good time.In fact, it does. You have to be able to run the game on two levels: the rules which concern the players and the exceptions which concern the NPCs and monsters (unless you choose to stat them with the same options the PCs have). IMO that tends to make it more complicated to run, especially if you stat some NPCs with PC classes and some as "monsters" and both operate in the same envinronment.Which is not what I said. Look, it’s enough if the rules are written so explicitly well that you can stat or define things on the fly – that’s what I think is the fundamental requirement for any decent RPG system. So if I come up with an idea for a neat and unique 4th level fire spell in the middle of an encounter, I know how it should mechanically function. Or the same with an improvised magic item. If it’s all just general and vague guidelines/options, I’ll get a headache and need a break in the game to think how the item or spell should work along. Uh, my players do. They're usually interested in pretty much every strange phenomenon they encounter. Usually they use spells and skills to investigate them. So I just *have* to think about these things on a mechanical level, which is why I want to have the option to describe them mechanically. But it does. If they wish to create a spell which mirrors a weird unique monster ability, you need to have some sort of mechanical reference to define what's needed to research that spell (or 'attack power'). You also need a mechanical reference to make sure that it's in balance with the other spells or powers that exist in the game. Of course, you may just "swing" it, but in that case you may end up with a broken spell or power. Did I say that? No, I don’t think I did. The rules exist to support game play and to resolve any potential conflicts and/or situations in which the outcome is uncertain. All I did was note that implementing elements from a narrativist system into a gamist system is not a very good idea. And that if the rules are vaguely written or open to interpretation (and if this becomes a problem in your group) you *might* have more fun with free-form storytelling than constantly arguing over the rules.   Thanks for the tip, but I like to analyze things and try to have at least a basic level of consistency and sense of realism in my game. If you don't, that's just as fine as long as it works for your own group.</blockquote>

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