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<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 9440953" data-attributes="member: 22779">The thing is, this little back and forth with [USER=1008]@SableWyvern[/USER] encapsulates everything I don't like about open ended design.&nbsp; Because with open ended design, it means I have to police EVERY SINGLE THING the players do.&nbsp; I have to check and double check every spell, every ability, every single thing on every single character sheet.&nbsp; Because the players will &quot;creatively interpret&quot; mechanics to their own advantage.&nbsp; Maybe not every time.&nbsp; Maybe it's only once in a while.&nbsp; But, because it does happen, it means that I have to check and double check every single thing.[USER=1008]@SableWyvern[/USER] posted a lengthy list of creative words to use for Command.&nbsp; But, most of that list is invalid because the spell very specifically states that the words must be verbs.&nbsp; But, if I didn't take the time to reread the spell description, I wouldn't have known that.&nbsp; If I relied on the player actually knowing how the mechanics of his own character worked, I would never know that.&nbsp; And because I KNOW that players will, from time to time, interpret things to their advantage, whether intentionally or entirely by accident, it means I have to test out every single thing from the players.&nbsp; I can't just trust the players or the game.With more concretely worded effects, even if the effects allow for a broad number of results, I can actually trust the players not to make &quot;mistakes&quot;.&nbsp; And when there are literally hundreds of spell effects in the game, there's just no way I can possibly memorize all of them.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 9440953, member: 22779"] The thing is, this little back and forth with [USER=1008]@SableWyvern[/USER] encapsulates everything I don't like about open ended design. Because with open ended design, it means I have to police EVERY SINGLE THING the players do. I have to check and double check every spell, every ability, every single thing on every single character sheet. Because the players will "creatively interpret" mechanics to their own advantage. Maybe not every time. Maybe it's only once in a while. But, because it does happen, it means that I have to check and double check every single thing. [USER=1008]@SableWyvern[/USER] posted a lengthy list of creative words to use for Command. But, most of that list is invalid because the spell very specifically states that the words must be verbs. But, if I didn't take the time to reread the spell description, I wouldn't have known that. If I relied on the player actually knowing how the mechanics of his own character worked, I would never know that. And because I KNOW that players will, from time to time, interpret things to their advantage, whether intentionally or entirely by accident, it means I have to test out every single thing from the players. I can't just trust the players or the game. With more concretely worded effects, even if the effects allow for a broad number of results, I can actually trust the players not to make "mistakes". And when there are literally hundreds of spell effects in the game, there's just no way I can possibly memorize all of them. [/QUOTE]

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