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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 7524854" data-attributes="member: 177">I think pointing out that there are some actions that are not allowed is missing the point. Yes, my character doesn't have the wings, spells, or magic items that allow them to fly, so they cannot fly.&nbsp; That doesn't make the game suddenly 100% prescriptive.&nbsp; I think the central point is still there - if you are playing chess, you have a list of allowed moves, and *everything else* is forbidden.&nbsp; In a typical board or card game, what you do on your turn in a normal game is very specifically spelled out for you - first you roll the die, then you move your piece, and then you resolve what happens, given where you land on the board.....&nbsp; In an RPG, it is more like there's a list of things the character cannot do, and *everything else* is at least possible to try, if occasionally unlikely.&nbsp; Maybe you roll the die, maybe you don't.&nbsp; In Monopoly, I roll a die, and I do not control where I move.&nbsp; if I land on Park Place with two hotels on it, I hand over a whole lot of money.&nbsp; In D&amp;D, I *choose* whether I enter an expensive tavern, and maybe I hand over a lot of money.&nbsp; Maybe I sing for my supper.&nbsp; Maybe I skive off before dawn to avoid paying.&nbsp; Maybe I start a bar brawl that ends up burning the hotel to the ground.I think, in the face of this, the idea that D&amp;D is particularly prescriptive is weak.&nbsp;&nbsp; This isn't really a binary choice - wholly prescriptive or wholly descriptive, with nohting in between.&nbsp; There's a continuum.&nbsp; D&amp;D has some things you can't do, but the rules are still largely descriptive.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 7524854, member: 177"] I think pointing out that there are some actions that are not allowed is missing the point. Yes, my character doesn't have the wings, spells, or magic items that allow them to fly, so they cannot fly. That doesn't make the game suddenly 100% prescriptive. I think the central point is still there - if you are playing chess, you have a list of allowed moves, and *everything else* is forbidden. In a typical board or card game, what you do on your turn in a normal game is very specifically spelled out for you - first you roll the die, then you move your piece, and then you resolve what happens, given where you land on the board..... In an RPG, it is more like there's a list of things the character cannot do, and *everything else* is at least possible to try, if occasionally unlikely. Maybe you roll the die, maybe you don't. In Monopoly, I roll a die, and I do not control where I move. if I land on Park Place with two hotels on it, I hand over a whole lot of money. In D&D, I *choose* whether I enter an expensive tavern, and maybe I hand over a lot of money. Maybe I sing for my supper. Maybe I skive off before dawn to avoid paying. Maybe I start a bar brawl that ends up burning the hotel to the ground. I think, in the face of this, the idea that D&D is particularly prescriptive is weak. This isn't really a binary choice - wholly prescriptive or wholly descriptive, with nohting in between. There's a continuum. D&D has some things you can't do, but the rules are still largely descriptive. [/QUOTE]

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