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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 9630565" data-attributes="member: 6785785">No, it's not! How do you figure? If they say "what about the cameras" and the DM hadn't thought of that, then that's it? Mystery solved. They watch the video and there's Colonel Mustard with the rope, plain as day! Of course not. So the players prompt the DM with an unexpected question... what about the cameras... and the DM then has to determine what the cameras may reveal. Likely a clue of some sort, no? Okay... what kind of clue. How useful a clue? Is it something concrete like a monogrammed scarf? Or something that implies some new information... like an altered video would indicate someone inside being involved? How is any of this determined? Right! The DM "could" do that. He "could" do a lot of things. And my point to you all along has been the more that all of this stuff is up to the DM... all the background information, the new information that needs to be introduced into play, how useful it is, what if any mechanics are used to determine all this, how difficult a task may be, and on and on and on.... that impacts the players' ability to influence play. It doesn't remove it! As you say, the players can prompt the DM with questions to possibly reveal new stuff... of some unknown scope or importance or relevance, using some methods that the DM may decide at the time!This is why I say I'll believe it when someone can offer a clear description of play that doesn't rely on vague stuff like "it's organic". Forget the term DM fiat for a minute and just look at what I'm saying. DM input on all this stuff... it's so much DM input that it's hard to track it all. I think this happens and people stop attributing these things to DM choice at all... they start to say things like 'well that's what would most likely happen' and so on. But it's only what would most likely happen because of all the contributing factors... which are mostly made by the DM. What ideas of the players get added to play? The existence of cameras. Okay... then what? What do the cameras reveal? Whose idea is that?</blockquote>

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