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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Retreater" data-source="post: 9194454" data-attributes="member: 42040">But this is all that the book gives the player and DM. It doesn't give examples of creative actions or guidelines on how to adjudicate. So many proponents of old school style encourage gamers to "ignore the rules, let your imagination run wild, make it interesting yourself." That is a difficult proposition without experience and/or guidance (I've been GMing for 30 years - and it can still be challenging running this way at times.)At best, this mentality is unhelpful. At the worst, it's gatekeeping in that "get good, bro" kind of way. I would argue that the onus of presenting the best way to have fun in a game system falls on the game system itself. If the game is a boring slog by using the rules as written, then that issue is with the rules system. It is not the responsibility of the GM or players to try to "divine" what the unwritten tradition of playing the game is.When you look at a game, does it provide examples of things like the following...1) a fighter flips over a table to get a bonus to AC. If so, how much might it be?2) what kind of roll should be taken to swing across a chandelier? How much damage might be done by dropping on a goblin below?3) can you trip? disarm? grapple? Is it harder to do against a giant? 4) can you re-shape a spell to have a different area of effect? create a different form of energy damage? 5) you're breaking out of a prison cell and using a rat bone to pick the lock. what is the penalty for not having thieves' tools?6) can you light arrows on fire? if so, does that make them more difficult to aim? how much fire damage will it do to that troll?7) can you shove the orc into the other orc behind him, perhaps sending him into the yawning chasm behind? what do you have to roll to do that?While it doesn't have to present rules for all of the above, does it give the players the idea that it's possible while giving the GM a way to expect how to rule about these actions? If you get outrageous bonuses for doing the same creative thing every action (I'm going to trip every turn, for example), then the game becomes boring again with repeated behavior. This is why, to me, most retroclones fail to be interesting beyond a one-shot. Running a campaign with a system like OSE is like going on a cross country trip on a Model T. Sure you might eventually get to your destination, but how many breakdowns will you have along the way - and can you find the parts and help to fix it?</blockquote>

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