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<blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 5010203" data-attributes="member: 7635">I REALLY hate this line of argument. The assumption that things like skills should be the pervue of &quot;DM fiat&quot; proves that D&amp;D began as a combat game. No game would go like this:DM: The two orcs lunge at you! What are you going to do?Bob: I kill it with my sword! I'm a trained warrior who lived on the borderlands for years, so I know how to fight orcs, right?DM: Yeah, ok, you kill an orc. You know how to do that. Next?Sam: Ok, I also grew up near a borderland, so I know how to kill orcs too, right?DM: Well, you might, but you're a wizard so you have to suck at combat. The orc swings at you and cuts off your arm. Sam: ...Now, nobody would except a game like that, but its perfectly fine to assume the same when a fighter tries to climb a cliff, a thief tries to smooth-talk a guard, or a cleric tries to swim to escape a flooding dungeon, right? At best, they'll be treated as some &quot;roll a die, if it beats the arbitrary number in my head, you win.&quot;I like things like skills and feats overall. I like anything that doesn't require a DM playing &quot;Mother-may-I?&quot; to do things like tumble between a foe's legs, fight using my dexterity, or to figure out what spell a foe just cast. Perhaps I gamed with too many DMs whose default answer to &quot;Can I look outside the rules?&quot; is &quot;No!&quot; to really buy the whole &quot;less is more&quot; view. Simpler? Yeah, it could be. But if simpler is best than <a href="http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rdeese/RPG/D02/D02.htm" target="_blank">D02: Know No Limit</a> is the best RPG ever.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Remathilis, post: 5010203, member: 7635"] I REALLY hate this line of argument. The assumption that things like skills should be the pervue of "DM fiat" proves that D&D began as a combat game. No game would go like this: DM: The two orcs lunge at you! What are you going to do? Bob: I kill it with my sword! I'm a trained warrior who lived on the borderlands for years, so I know how to fight orcs, right? DM: Yeah, ok, you kill an orc. You know how to do that. Next? Sam: Ok, I also grew up near a borderland, so I know how to kill orcs too, right? DM: Well, you might, but you're a wizard so you have to suck at combat. The orc swings at you and cuts off your arm. Sam: ... Now, nobody would except a game like that, but its perfectly fine to assume the same when a fighter tries to climb a cliff, a thief tries to smooth-talk a guard, or a cleric tries to swim to escape a flooding dungeon, right? At best, they'll be treated as some "roll a die, if it beats the arbitrary number in my head, you win." I like things like skills and feats overall. I like anything that doesn't require a DM playing "Mother-may-I?" to do things like tumble between a foe's legs, fight using my dexterity, or to figure out what spell a foe just cast. Perhaps I gamed with too many DMs whose default answer to "Can I look outside the rules?" is "No!" to really buy the whole "less is more" view. Simpler? Yeah, it could be. But if simpler is best than [url=http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rdeese/RPG/D02/D02.htm]D02: Know No Limit[/url] is the best RPG ever. [/QUOTE]

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