iserith
Magic Wordsmith
I'd probably second-guess whether I'd adequately set the scene as soon as the players said they were doing this: "Now, the PC's march up to the chieftain's hut and demand entrance." I don't want to just "negate their action," which is why I ask what they want to accomplish. Maybe they have a clever plan, I don't know. Failing that, I probably didn't do a good enough job describing the situation. I'd rather fix that than let the characters go all chaotic stupid when the players didn't think they were being chaotic stupid because they didn't understand the situation.
By "negating their action," I mean saying something like "Your character would think/know that's not going to work..." or words to that affect. I've seen some DMs do that before. That might even be said after they have clarified what they want to accomplish in the face of a clear description by the DM.
It sounds like you rarely encounter this issue due to your well-trained players and obsessive focus on clear and concise description, which is great. For the OP, though, it may still be a useful check to ask what the players are trying to accomplish if and when these situations pop up. Hell, he may find out he's doing a great job of setting up the situation, the players know exactly what's up, and they just want to go all chaotic stupid. Either way, good to know.
I suspect it's the latter (though admittedly that's based solely on the OP's recounting of this one situation). And if it is the latter, then I suspect the expectation of just about any action getting an ability check is at the heart of it. "I threaten the guard with bodily harm to get past him..." is smart play when you know you'll always get a check and you've pumped your Intimidation bonus. It may not be smart play in other "playstyles."