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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Swarmkeeper" data-source="post: 8723948" data-attributes="member: 6921763">Well said.I am still a somewhat baffled why some here are projecting malicious intent on the DM for expecting players to engage a bit more with a basic component of the play loop:  The players describe what they want to doDM:  [describes environment in several sentences then...]  "What do you do?"Player (in direct response to the environment described):"My PC steps into the shadows and remains still until the on-duty guard walks past"or"My PC digs out her cartographer's tools to help her examine the map.  She's looking for any hidden symbols or alterations..."or"I pick the lock with my thieves' tools"or"'Step back I got this!' and, with a running start, I'm going to shoulder bash the stuck door"or"I listen carefully to the diplomat's words to deduce if he has some hidden agenda"or"I'm a bit worried here - I'll stand guard while you two (points to the wizard and rogue) do your thing"or"My PC wants to take a closer look at the desk for anything interesting"or... etcIt doesn't require any professional knowledge, it doesn't require flowery prose, it doesn't even require speaking in first person as the character.  To describe what you, the player, wants to do, you just need to indicate how your PC is interacting with the environment the DM just described.  Tell us the PC's goal and the approach they are taking to try to achieve that goal.  Don't self-call for a roll at our table, just describe what the PC is doing in the fiction.  There are millions of possibilities and none of them are wrong - because the player decides how their character thinks, feels, and acts.The DM, in response to the players' declarations, then can adjudicate those specific actions that have been declared by the players.  Note, the DM is not looking for any special or correct words here - the DM is simply asking how the players want to handle a situation. Very often, the PC will auto-succeed at what they were trying to do, because the outcome was certain. Occasionally, the PC will fail to achieve what they were trying to do, because there simply was no possibility of success. Occasionally, the player will need to make an Ability Check for their PC, because the outcome is not only uncertain, but there is also a meaningful consequence for failure.  When an Ability Check is appropriate, my preference as DM is to tell the player the DC and the stakes (sometimes detailed, sometime vague) for success and failure - that assumes the PC is a capable adventurer who has a sense of the difficulty of what they are about to try. And, when the d20 comes out, that PC with the +17 Insight and an unused Inspiration is going to feel pretty good about her chances here.  Meanwhile the PC with the -1 Stealth and clattering armor might be rethinking their approach to a particular challenge or may boldly proceed anyway.  It's all part of the story - success can be very rewarding but failure also has its place in creating a fun, memorable experience at the table.At this point, I'm not sure paraphrasing these concepts yet again is going to do any good to achieve understanding but thought I'd give it another try to see where it takes the conversation.  It feels to me that some posters here are reading and interpreting from a perspective of fear.  Fear for their character (a character, mind you, that will likely never play at our table) at the mercy of a hand wringing, cackling, killer DM. (I am truly sorry if that's been an experience for you in the past.) IMO, it would be nice if posters could let go of that pretense, however, and replace it with curiosity.  Instead of staunch objections, ask probing questions.  At the end of the day, this is just another playstyle in which all participants are actually playing in good faith and looking to create a fun, exciting story together.</blockquote>

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