Common sense

[Numion]

It would be common sense for 4 people to have to surrender when facing a detachment of 20 city watchmen.

It would be common sense for a PCs velocity not to change when teleporting from the arctic to equator.

It would be common sense for cyanide to kill any human.

But those are not the things I want in my D&D game. Common sense be damned.

 

[DragonLancer]

I voted for the RAW as the best option provided. I try to use the RAW and if nessecary modify whatever the character is doing by +/- on the DC.

 

[The Cardinal]

D&D: RAW
other games: common sense

 

[Zeit]

Common sense, I'd see it as lack of intelligence to follow RAW like a slave ("but that's how it is written, so it has to be true") if it does not make any sense at all.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I agree that this poll does have the best options. I chose 'follow the RAW'

In reality, I deal with the situation this way:

When a situation comes up in play that is an odd corner peice we have not encountered before, I run with common sense based on extrapoloation of the rules as I know them..I refuse to break the flow of the game in order to leave through books for a rules answer unless the point is extremely critical {ie, PC will die}.

After the game, I look up the pertinent rules and decide whether to HR them or not. The next time the situation comes up, I follow the rules chosen.

I try to play without any books at the table, but my players knowledge of spells tends to confound that.
I also try to have the most probable actions mapped out.. so I know in advance what the DC of silly stunt #5 would be if my players attempt it.
The hard part of doing this is the DM has to know thier players quite well. I can decently predict what my group will do... but have not gotten to the point with this group that I can virtually map out the entire session based on how I know they will react to given situations.

{Did that once in a CP2020 game and it was awesome! The Agency was using the group to accomplish thier goals and provided the right information at the right times to lead the group by the nose. My most paranoid player figured it out the next day over breakfast when he realized that all the contacts they met that night were all associated to an Agent. It was awesome! but I digress}

Zeit: Isn't is kind of odd that some people on this board tend to assume only the extremes? It shows in posts that make generalizations, usually demeaning ones at that.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

Depends on the situation
So I guess that means my answer is common sense.
Whats common sense to one person isn't always so to another. Just look at how much science seems to fly in the face of common sense sometimes.

 

[Ranger REG]

My determining factor is plausibility.

Or trust your gut.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

The poll results so far are about what I expected - about 13% picked "follow the RAW". I was just really surprised by how adamant some people were about "follow the RAW all the time" and wondered if I had been playing so differently than everyone else all these years. I guess not.

I'm also wondering if this changed with the advent of 3E and if its correlated with a preference for gamist play. I guess I'll need some more polls to find out.

 

[the Jester]

I'm perfectly willing to tweak the RAW, but common sense often doesn't enter into it. So I guess when they conflict, I go with the RAW.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Or trust your gut.

I suppose you could put it like that, yes.