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<blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 9048461" data-attributes="member: 97077">Say &quot;I smash the vase with my bare fist&quot; instead of &quot;I smash the vase&quot; and leaving it a question as to how. What's rigid about this? The player is just describing what they want to do, which is part of their role in the game. The upside is I don't have to ask any clarifying questions (which some fear sets the stage for &quot;metagaming&quot;) or decide for myself what the character does (which sets the stage for conflict with the player). I also, to the original topic, have the information I need to fairly adjudicate whether the character can break something. Can the vase be smashed with a bare fist? Yes, no, or maybe and, in the latter case, we roll for it if there's a meaningful consequence for failure.I suppose it could be a &quot;playstyle&quot; to be vague or noncommittal in your action declaration such that the DM needs to ask you clarifying questions about it and/or just say what your character is doing for you. It rather seems fraught with a lot of downsides that it seems many might agree is best avoided, including creating opportunities for &quot;metagaming.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="iserith, post: 9048461, member: 97077"] Say "I smash the vase with my bare fist" instead of "I smash the vase" and leaving it a question as to how. What's rigid about this? The player is just describing what they want to do, which is part of their role in the game. The upside is I don't have to ask any clarifying questions (which some fear sets the stage for "metagaming") or decide for myself what the character does (which sets the stage for conflict with the player). I also, to the original topic, have the information I need to fairly adjudicate whether the character can break something. Can the vase be smashed with a bare fist? Yes, no, or maybe and, in the latter case, we roll for it if there's a meaningful consequence for failure. I suppose it could be a "playstyle" to be vague or noncommittal in your action declaration such that the DM needs to ask you clarifying questions about it and/or just say what your character is doing for you. It rather seems fraught with a lot of downsides that it seems many might agree is best avoided, including creating opportunities for "metagaming." [/QUOTE]

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