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<blockquote data-quote="Gothmog" data-source="post: 1843544" data-attributes="member: 317">I have found through experience that letting the PCs know the DC for various skill checks, spell saves, AC, enemy HP, etc- basically incorporating more mechanics into the game- slows down play immensely, and makes the players focus more on the numbers rather than roleplaying and the character as an entity apart from the numbers.&nbsp; That said, for some skills it would be possible to guage the difficulty (climb, swim, jump, open lock), I tell them roughy how difficult the task would be: easy= DC 10, moderate=11-15, hard=16-20, very hard=21-25, impossible=26-30, etc.In the past I have run a long term (12+ year game, still going on) where I kept track of ALL the stats in the game.&nbsp; Yes, thats means the players didn't know their ACs, HPs, saves, exact attack bonuses, or item plusses- and its been GREAT!&nbsp; I broke two hardcore powergamers of their compulsion, and now when playing in a game with all the stats, they don't try to tweak and modify their characters to get every possible plus- they just take a character concept, develop it, and have fun with it even if it isn't the most optimal choice.&nbsp; Yeah, its a little more work for me, but after a session or two, I memorized all the ACs, HPs, attack bonuses and saves, and I also have an excel spreadsheet to help me in case I forget anything.&nbsp; I have to say, but cutting out all the fuss about players endlessly obsessing on stats, play has sped up about 20%, and the players don't want to go back to keeping track of their own stats.&nbsp; When I do run another long-term serious campaign again, I'm definitely doing the same thing, and I would love to play in a campaign where the DM did the same thing.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Gothmog, post: 1843544, member: 317"] I have found through experience that letting the PCs know the DC for various skill checks, spell saves, AC, enemy HP, etc- basically incorporating more mechanics into the game- slows down play immensely, and makes the players focus more on the numbers rather than roleplaying and the character as an entity apart from the numbers. That said, for some skills it would be possible to guage the difficulty (climb, swim, jump, open lock), I tell them roughy how difficult the task would be: easy= DC 10, moderate=11-15, hard=16-20, very hard=21-25, impossible=26-30, etc. In the past I have run a long term (12+ year game, still going on) where I kept track of ALL the stats in the game. Yes, thats means the players didn't know their ACs, HPs, saves, exact attack bonuses, or item plusses- and its been GREAT! I broke two hardcore powergamers of their compulsion, and now when playing in a game with all the stats, they don't try to tweak and modify their characters to get every possible plus- they just take a character concept, develop it, and have fun with it even if it isn't the most optimal choice. Yeah, its a little more work for me, but after a session or two, I memorized all the ACs, HPs, attack bonuses and saves, and I also have an excel spreadsheet to help me in case I forget anything. I have to say, but cutting out all the fuss about players endlessly obsessing on stats, play has sped up about 20%, and the players don't want to go back to keeping track of their own stats. When I do run another long-term serious campaign again, I'm definitely doing the same thing, and I would love to play in a campaign where the DM did the same thing. [/QUOTE]

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