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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 4040211" data-attributes="member: 4937">Ok, one more time.I believe that you are confused on several fronts.  First, the first two quotations in the above passage are actual direct quotations.  The third one is not.  So let's not paraphrase what we are arguing about and then imply intentionally or unintentionally that its also a direct quote.Secondly, I said it was a false dichotomy because non-formal rules could carry the status of formal rules in dictating the physics of the game.  By way of reminder, 'The wall is solid', is a rule of game table once it becomes established that walls are solid even if it is never wrote down.  If one of your two choices is true, it doesn't imply that the other is automatically true, and vica versa.  In fact, I don't necessarily have to agree that either choice is true.  That's what false dichotomy means.If formal rules or are or not literally interpreted, or are or are not strictly abided by, doesn't change the fact that the non-formal rules are in practice performing the same role.  When I suggest that the formal rules of the game should be adhered to, it doesn't imply that I don't think that there are or aren't other rules.  I'm merely stating in the example you quoted, on the assumption that the rules as written are being used, that the rules as written specify that a fall from a horse does d6 damage and that if you break that rule you've just misrepresent events to any player with an understanding that the rule applies because now you and the player have a slightly different mental picture of the world.  And that is I think generally something that is inevitable enough of a confusion that we don't want to contribute to it. I think you are confusing the issue when you use words like 'authority' or 'acceptable'.  'Acceptable' comes close to implying a moral or ethical judgement and that goes beyond what I'm saying, and on the subject of authority I agree that the DM has the authority to ignore the rules.   The DM can contrevene himself, can issue inconsistant rulings, can signal the PC's that future rulings will be handled one way and then do them some different way, and any number of things.  Whether you have the authority to do something is very different than whether it is the best practice.  I'm just saying that I think in general it is a mistake for the DM to cheat, and it is always a mistake to consistantly do so.  I believe you'll find the writers of the DMG hold very much the same opinion.Again, you are really confusing the discussion by wanting to bring in to it topics like 'authority'.  It is well within the DM's authority to disregard the rules he's established for play, but a wise DM in my opinion doesn't do so lightly.  I would argue that when he breaks the rules, he's never really being 'fair' to the players.  They may well find the rules-breaking acceptable if he's cheating in thier favor, but that's not the same as being fair and I think it sets a really bad precendent in DM behavior and DM/player relations.  Simply put, a 'good plot hook' is not a sufficiently good reason for breaking the rules.  It might be if you could demonstrate that the same thing couldn't be achieved by some similar plot hook that was game consistant, and that the fact that you as a DM wanted to break the rules didn't actually represent a conflict between your vision of the game and the rules, but I don't think you can really demonstrate either one.  For any given plot hook, I can always fashion something similar, and I think better, using the tools at hand.  And even if I can't, I think that that demonstrates not that I need to break the rules, but that I'd run into less problems if I just went and changed the rules so that I won't have to break them in the future.Maybe liking consistancy in your game is a matter of personal preference, but it seems to me that the people who are losing suspension of disbelief are doing so because they are noticing that the game is inconsistant.  It it isn't the fact that the game is inconsistant that is destroying thier suspension of disbelief, what do you think it is?PS: Looking at that post, I think I'm getting tired now.  So I think I'll have to take this up later.</blockquote>

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