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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 9746556" data-attributes="member: 6790260">In fairness, I don't think I've heard the phrase "goal and approach" before, so perhaps the baggage isn't as big? But yes, what I'm hearing in this thread and the previous definitely points in that direction. The other phrase doesn't have baggage, it IS baggage. The fact that its creator has now had to tie himself in a knot, explaining how no no no you don't understand this system I like that does this is actually amazing, is simply proof that it was always baggage from the word "go".This seems pretty reasonable to me, but I would add one further element: the strange idea that these things are zero-sum.That is, using your Decisions vs Actions description, there is this incredibly strange notion amongst those who speak positively of "player skill", that any increase, any increase whatsoever, in the quantity, quality, or applicability of Actions necessarily means a proportional reduction in the quantity, quality, or applicability of Decisions, and vice-versa. A game which offers multiple, generally useful, quality things-a-character-can-do Actions, is somehow guaranteed to be a game where reasoning, resourcefulness, and creativity become completely irrelevant. Conversely, a game which offers few, generally niche, weak things-a-character-can-do Actions, is somehow guaranteed to be a game where reasoning, resourcefulness, and creativity are always present (and, moreover, richly rewarded).I genuinely don't understand where this zero-sum assertion comes from. The two are orthogonal. Tic-tac-toe has just about the most constrained decision space possible, and creativity flat-out doesn't exist there (your only "creative" option is whether you intentionally permit the other player to win.) Similarly, several video games can offer enormously more and more effective options than many old-school TTRPGs, and yet be hailed for the degree to which smart player choices matter.</blockquote>

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