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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JamesonCourage" data-source="post: 5624876" data-attributes="member: 6668292">It really is a matter of taste, Hussar. You're right. And I agree, there's nothing inherently wrong with dissociated mechanics. If I recall correctly, Justin Alexander doesn't think so either (he likes them in another game he mentions, I believe).I don't think he meant associated to the narrative. I think he meant associated to the in-game world. To that end, narrative mechanics -which cannot be learned, explored, or observed- are dissociative. That doesn't mean they aren't fun.I love Mutants and Masterminds 2e, and I stole the Hero Point mechanic for my game (modified it, but it's based on it). That's a mechanic that lets you use points on a meta level to modify game results, get clues, or even shape the world to very minor degrees. It's definitely a dissociated mechanic, but, like you indicate, it definitely helps build the feel of playing in a superhero genre.Now, my problem with dissociative mechanics (and this is a very personally subjective problem) is that it pulls me out of character, and kills my immersion very quickly. This isn't a problem with Mutants and Masterminds, since that's not what I want out of the game. But, then again, I only play M&M as one-shots every couple of months.I definitely agree that having such narrative power could be very natural to use for some people, though, and wouldn't disrupt their game much or at all. It's just not universally shared, though. Just like you said, Hussar, it's a matter of taste. And, that's why people have often spoken up against dissociated mechanics. If they're extrapolating their preference to anyone else's game, though, they're wrong to do so.As always, play what you like <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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