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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ovinomancer" data-source="post: 7084733" data-attributes="member: 16814">This is good stuff, but I'm genuinely confused by what you mean by player agency in this context.  I view it as the ability for the player to make meaningful choices, but you seem to view it more as how much jeopardy of harm the player may be in via his character and/or how much other players have a say in how a player plays his character?  Because, to be frank, the idea that that DM can dictate that I, as a player, must play my character in a way that forces me to care about an NPC is alien to the concept of player agency.  It's an interesting mechanic, for sure, but it actively requires that the player relinquish some agency, some freedoms of choice, for it to take effect.I do agree about many mainstream games (read D&D here) work to reduce a character to a set of numbers and combat abilities.  I'm trying to break down my players reaching for dice to answer questions as they ask them and instead frame their intent and, if I deem it necessary, I'll ask for them to roll.  Mostly because I'm tired of "I ask the guard where (clatter) the King is, I have a 13 Diplomacy check," but also because I'd like them to consider their character as more than the numbers.What's funny about this is that they do this very well in some other systems, but prefer D&D and always seem to revert to type.</blockquote>