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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Skallgrim" data-source="post: 5005762" data-attributes="member: 79271">Another aspect of the clearly defined system mechanics is accessibility.Particularly in 4e (not a system criticism), where there is the excellent Character Builder available, which creates Power Cards, the players are presented with some options which are clearly spelled out, clearly defined, and easily accessible during play.While some players may only choose these options because the cards put "blinders" on them, I have noticed that players often don't want to slow down the game with questions."How big is the brazier?  What kind of action would it take to tip it over? How much damage would it do?".The character, in the world, would be able to appraise that stuff pretty quickly (big brazier, hard to tip over, very, very hot), but the player has to do it while everyone else is waiting for their turn.Then, on top of that, if the player gets all of the information which the character would absorb in a glance, and decides NOT to use the 'special action' (realizing it would hurt allies, or be too hard to do, or whatever), the player (and his comrades) might feel that all of that questioning was just wasted time.Your power options are written on your cards, and you can mull them over when it isn't your turn, so you are ready to go when you are 'at bat'.  Special actions often require conferring with the DM, so you either have to interrupt other people, or wait until your turn to start planning.This is actually a 'creative problem' for people who are good gamers.  They don't want to slow the game down, ask pointless questions, or hog the time, so they pick options that are readily available.I would bet money that if you had two DMs, one who 'ran the encounter' and another who simply wandered around and answered questions, offered descriptions, and covered rules issues, that people would be a LOT more likely to be improvisational in a fight.Even in rules-heavy games, like GURPS (can be), I find that more players are creative than in D&D, simply because SOME of the rules aren't presented in a convenient card format.  I've played both systems with the same players and the same DM, and noticed this myself.  Of course, that's purely anecdotal.</blockquote>

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