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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 6233240" data-attributes="member: 59082">I remain somewhat flabbergasted by the notion that any degree of DM fiat or employment of Rule Zero is "cheating" and tantamount to railroading a game.This is where I see the logic fail. Sort of like saying all cloudy days are alike, whether we're talking a stray cirrus wisp or gray overcast, and thus "the sunny day is ruined" (not to mention that you need gray days every so often to remember what a sunny day is like, but that's only tangentially related in that the clouds end up augmenting the clear sky).I use fiat sparingly, and only when (I feel) it augments the play experience of everyone concerned. I don't "cheat." Actually, if we want to RAW, Rule Zero is not cheating because its implied in ALL editions of D&D. Actually, it isn't implied - its outright stated. In a way I see fiat/Rule Zero as being akin to the Wish spell. It isn't about using it in an overpowering sense that completely upsets the game, but as a way of accomplishing something that otherwise couldn't be accomplished.I'd also question the idea that a DM can "cheat." As Rule Zero is part of the RAW, this doesn't make sense. A DM can, however, make poor decisions that de-stabilize game play, betray player trust, or otherwise mar the play experience. It is less a matter of right or wrong, or black or white, and more a matter of what makes sense contextually, and what the DM ultimately serves. I see the DM as ultimately serving to facilitate enjoyment, so Rule Zero is an escape clause when a certain kind of intervention would increase enjoyment. There are different ways to play D&D, but using that statement to defend one's preferred style while calling Rule Zero "cheating" seems contradictory. It seems that those who see Rule Zero (or fiat, if there's a difference) as cheating can only say so if they house rule it out of the RAW, so then it is only cheating in their house rule version of D&D. Hey, that's fine, but let's call a spade a spade!</blockquote>

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