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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6840376" data-attributes="member: 4937">Possibly, but may I suggest that at least as often as the player's rejecting Rule Zero, a game gets complicated because the GM rejects Rule Zero.  That is, the GM may reject a pure fiat ruling since doing so seems to interfere with his role as impartial referee, and he doesn't actually want to simply choose what happens.  Also, speaking as a GM, Rule Zero is the most complicated rule there is.  Again, speaking as a GM, I would say that if Rule Zero is in force, the game is rules heavy.   Nothing slows down play for me and carries a big mental overhead than hitting a point in the flowchart that says, "Resolve this by Rule Zero".   Often if I get to that point, I have to put my head down, close my eyes, and think for a minute or two to make sure I'm considering all the factors involved and understand the implications of the choices I'm complicating, and maybe run in my head how things will go depending on the choices I make before giving a ruling.If your game has Rule Zero in it, it's rules heavy.  Period.  And the more you rely on Rule Zero, the heavier it gets.  Mice & Mystics is a board game based off RPGs with very D20 style mechanics.  It is however a board game because of the following:1) Players only have moves.  They can't make open propositions.  Every proposition has to be couched in the language of a move.2) As a consequence, it has no need of and completely lacks Rule Zero.  Every choice the player's can make and the outcome of every choice the player's can make is fully known and described.3) Role playing can occur, but can't actually change the outcome, because 'conversation' is inherently open ended and while a quite natural 'mechanic' that most humans are naturally somewhat skilled at and can easily make up by "playing pretend" it still involves Rule Zero to use 'conversation' as a part of your process resolution.  "What would the NPC say to that?", being one of the more frequent challenges I face as a GM, particularly with NPCs that are very alien in abilities and motivations.  (That said, conservational improvisation is a lot easier than mechanical improvisation.)</blockquote>

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