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<blockquote data-quote="Sword of Spirit" data-source="post: 6659262" data-attributes="member: 6677017">A lot of the options thing is psychological. When you see a list of options on your sheet (regardless of edition) you are likely to select your actions based on multiple choice. The same thing applies when you look at a list of actions from the combat chapter.I'm have a really difficult time trying to break that habit (which I didn't pick up from 4e, by the way) in 5e. I want people to innovate and think 'outside the sheet' but it's just such a difficult thing to do.And I inadvertently make it more difficult, because often my first response when a player describes something is &quot;well, you can't do that because...&quot;. Then they are less likely to try things in the future (imagine that!) My problem is that I actually usually do want them to try stuff like that, but my brain is immediately comparing multiple game rules and how they interact, imagining how I might be establishing undesirable precedents, etc. When what I really want to do is just think of an appropriate ability check or contest and worry about it later. Then I end up coming back next session telling them I should have let them do it and here is how I probably would have handled it, etc. Too late though, damage is already done in providing reinforcement to just select from a list, even though I want to reinforce exactly the opposite. I just need to learn to shut up, stick a Kit-Kat in my mouth, and think about it before I respond.It's difficult to untrain your brain once you've gotten into a habit of referring to multiple choice actions.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Sword of Spirit, post: 6659262, member: 6677017"] A lot of the options thing is psychological. When you see a list of options on your sheet (regardless of edition) you are likely to select your actions based on multiple choice. The same thing applies when you look at a list of actions from the combat chapter. I'm have a really difficult time trying to break that habit (which I didn't pick up from 4e, by the way) in 5e. I want people to innovate and think 'outside the sheet' but it's just such a difficult thing to do. And I inadvertently make it more difficult, because often my first response when a player describes something is "well, you can't do that because...". Then they are less likely to try things in the future (imagine that!) My problem is that I actually usually do want them to try stuff like that, but my brain is immediately comparing multiple game rules and how they interact, imagining how I might be establishing undesirable precedents, etc. When what I really want to do is just think of an appropriate ability check or contest and worry about it later. Then I end up coming back next session telling them I should have let them do it and here is how I probably would have handled it, etc. Too late though, damage is already done in providing reinforcement to just select from a list, even though I want to reinforce exactly the opposite. I just need to learn to shut up, stick a Kit-Kat in my mouth, and think about it before I respond. It's difficult to untrain your brain once you've gotten into a habit of referring to multiple choice actions. [/QUOTE]

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