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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ovinomancer" data-source="post: 7591490" data-attributes="member: 16814">We've tried to tell you a bunch of times, but you insist on only viewing it through the lens of your play.  I'll freely admit that, according to how you say you play, asking to roll is a very reasonable action on the part of your players.  This is for two main reasons -- one, you do not levy new consequences for failure very often, instead maintaining the status quo, and; two, you often do not conclusively resolve the uncertainty when a roll succeeded but just offer a hint.  This is a fine way to play (I wouldn't enjoy it), but it's these two assumptions of play that lead you to keep questioning why an approach helps over a straight ask to roll.In my game, the action will be conclusively resolved one way or the other.  An appropriate approach may get you an automatic resolution in your favor, and, on a failure, may constrain the consequence.  Further, the DC of the task will be set depending on your approach, so, again, a reasonable approach limits your risk.  On a success, the uncertainty is conclusively resolved -- no questions are left.  On a failure, the uncertainty is also conclusively resolved, but not in a way the player wanted.If you asked to just make a roll in my game, you'd not have provided an approach, so I could set the DC however I wanted and assume that you did things that I wanted you to do, and, if you failed, the situation would change in a negative way.  Listening at a door is an approach I can work with.  It's solid, I can set an appropriate DC or just give an autosuccess (if there's a party on the other side, frex).  On a failure, though, something will change in the fiction -- you either made a loud noise and alerted things on the other side, or the door opens to reveal a foe and you're surprised, or an earworm was infesting the door and you've contracted it.  Asking to make a roll when failure results in bad things is a bad strategy, so, yeah, that would be something gained by providing an approach instead of asking if you can try to fail.I, personally, very much dislike the creation of paranoia by use of the mechanics in an unclear manner.Is there a reason you imagine I would not?  This assumption that if you don't use the right words you'll get DM-screwed is WRONG.  Stop.I'd likely tell them this as part of the initial description.  Would you wait until someone asked to roll?  Of course not.  Do try to not assume we're being dicks.  When you do, it makes it hard to not assume you're not being a dick.</blockquote>

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