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<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 9062798" data-attributes="member: 22779"><p>Something to add here that I think is a very important point that is being glossed over.</p><p></p><p>My character is not me. My character has knowledge and skills that I do not have. My high level rogue (or frankly even my 1st level rogue) knows more about how to pick a lock that I do. </p><p></p><p>Fair enough. Everyone knows this. Not a problem.</p><p></p><p>But, there's another side to this. Not only does my character know more about how to pick a lock than I do, that character also knows more than you do too. I'm pretty sure that my rogue character knows more about picking locks than everyone reading these words. Which includes the Dungeon Master. </p><p></p><p>Which is where I find it really hard to buy this idea that I just "narrate what I want to do" and the DM adjudicates. The example before that I reacted to was "kneeling in front of the lock". Here's the thing. Does that actually make it easier to unlock a lock? I don't know. I have no idea. But, by the same token, I'm fairly certain that you don't know either. The you being any you who is reading this. So, when the DM claims that if I state that I'm kneeling in front of the lock, that this will make any difference to the chances of my character successfully opening that lock, it's pretty much a complete fabrication.</p><p></p><p>The DM believes that kneeling in front of the lock increases my chance of success. So, if I want to increase my chance of success, I have to kneel in front of the lock. Whether this is actually true or not, doesn't matter. The DM <em>believes </em>it to be true, and thus, it is true in the game.</p><p></p><p>So, it becomes a game of gaming the DM. The DM has flat out told me that I should not want to make rolls (despite the fact that my character is FAAAAR more skilled than I can ever hope to be) because I will have negative consequences for rolling. But, my only way to avoid rolling has nothing to do with the game itself. It's all about satisfying the DM. Add that narration. phrase it in a certain way, avoid referencing mechanics and hopefully that will add up to me succeeding on something.</p><p></p><p>For me, this is the furthest thing from immersion. I'm not immersed in the scene at all. I'm negotiating with Bob the DM all the time in order to perform tasks.</p><p></p><p>All because I am never supposed to say, "I check the door for traps. Investigation 17". <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/erm.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":erm:" title="Erm :erm:" data-shortname=":erm:" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 9062798, member: 22779"] Something to add here that I think is a very important point that is being glossed over. My character is not me. My character has knowledge and skills that I do not have. My high level rogue (or frankly even my 1st level rogue) knows more about how to pick a lock that I do. Fair enough. Everyone knows this. Not a problem. But, there's another side to this. Not only does my character know more about how to pick a lock than I do, that character also knows more than you do too. I'm pretty sure that my rogue character knows more about picking locks than everyone reading these words. Which includes the Dungeon Master. Which is where I find it really hard to buy this idea that I just "narrate what I want to do" and the DM adjudicates. The example before that I reacted to was "kneeling in front of the lock". Here's the thing. Does that actually make it easier to unlock a lock? I don't know. I have no idea. But, by the same token, I'm fairly certain that you don't know either. The you being any you who is reading this. So, when the DM claims that if I state that I'm kneeling in front of the lock, that this will make any difference to the chances of my character successfully opening that lock, it's pretty much a complete fabrication. The DM believes that kneeling in front of the lock increases my chance of success. So, if I want to increase my chance of success, I have to kneel in front of the lock. Whether this is actually true or not, doesn't matter. The DM [I]believes [/I]it to be true, and thus, it is true in the game. So, it becomes a game of gaming the DM. The DM has flat out told me that I should not want to make rolls (despite the fact that my character is FAAAAR more skilled than I can ever hope to be) because I will have negative consequences for rolling. But, my only way to avoid rolling has nothing to do with the game itself. It's all about satisfying the DM. Add that narration. phrase it in a certain way, avoid referencing mechanics and hopefully that will add up to me succeeding on something. For me, this is the furthest thing from immersion. I'm not immersed in the scene at all. I'm negotiating with Bob the DM all the time in order to perform tasks. All because I am never supposed to say, "I check the door for traps. Investigation 17". :erm: [/QUOTE]
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