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<blockquote data-quote="Philotomy Jurament" data-source="post: 3756240" data-attributes="member: 20854">Oh that's nothing, what's really boring is time consuming stuff like:Player: I push it a millimeter to the left.&nbsp; Anything?DM: Some dust falls from around the bracket...Player: I push it another millimeter to the left.&nbsp; Anything?DM: A slight squeak.Player: I get out my oil and put a few drops on it.DM: You have to get it out of your pack.&nbsp; Are you letting go of the bracket?Player:&nbsp; Yes.DM: Okay, you're rooting through your pack...[rolls wandering monster check]Player:&nbsp; Ready?DM: No, you're still rooting through your pack...Ok.Player: I push it another millimeter to the left.&nbsp; Anything?DM: Nothing.&nbsp; But your hands are kinda slick, now.Player: I wipe my hands.DM: Okay.Player:&nbsp; I push it another millimeter to the left.&nbsp; Anything?[An hour later, we get to pushing it to up and to the right...]Descriptive search...what a bore, huh?&nbsp;<img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/paranoid.png"&nbsp; class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":uhoh:" title="Paranoid&nbsp; &nbsp; :uhoh:" data-shortname=":uhoh:" />&nbsp; <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue&nbsp; &nbsp; :p"&nbsp; data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" />Seriously, though, you have to use some judgment about the whole thing.&nbsp; You needn't run all searches with the same amount of detail, and as I mentioned, the players and the DM rapidly come to a &quot;meeting of the minds&quot; on how it works, in play.&nbsp; In special situations, or with new players, sometimes being very detailed and careful *is* fun.&nbsp; As everyone gets more experienced, you naturally introduce short-cuts.&nbsp; And the players start driving how detailed searches need to be.&nbsp; I know it's not for everyone, but it does work very well (at least in my groups).&nbsp; And nobody is falling asleep at the table from boredom.&nbsp; Trust me.&nbsp; <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&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Another good example is the sample action in the 1E DMG, where a player says: &quot;Then I'll see if I can move any of the stone knobs and see if they operate a secret door!&nbsp; I'll push, pull, twist, turn, slide, or otherwise attempt to trigger the thing if possible.&quot;&nbsp; After several sessions of play, even that might become: &quot;I'll manipulate the knobs to see if anything happens...&quot; and the DM will understand what is being called for.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Philotomy Jurament, post: 3756240, member: 20854"] Oh that's nothing, what's really boring is time consuming stuff like: Player: I push it a millimeter to the left. Anything? DM: Some dust falls from around the bracket... Player: I push it another millimeter to the left. Anything? DM: A slight squeak. Player: I get out my oil and put a few drops on it. DM: You have to get it out of your pack. Are you letting go of the bracket? Player: Yes. DM: Okay, you're rooting through your pack...[rolls wandering monster check] Player: Ready? DM: No, you're still rooting through your pack...Ok. Player: I push it another millimeter to the left. Anything? DM: Nothing. But your hands are kinda slick, now. Player: I wipe my hands. DM: Okay. Player: I push it another millimeter to the left. Anything? [An hour later, we get to pushing it to up and to the right...] Descriptive search...what a bore, huh? :uhoh: :p Seriously, though, you have to use some judgment about the whole thing. You needn't run all searches with the same amount of detail, and as I mentioned, the players and the DM rapidly come to a "meeting of the minds" on how it works, in play. In special situations, or with new players, sometimes being very detailed and careful *is* fun. As everyone gets more experienced, you naturally introduce short-cuts. And the players start driving how detailed searches need to be. I know it's not for everyone, but it does work very well (at least in my groups). And nobody is falling asleep at the table from boredom. Trust me. :) Another good example is the sample action in the 1E DMG, where a player says: "Then I'll see if I can move any of the stone knobs and see if they operate a secret door! I'll push, pull, twist, turn, slide, or otherwise attempt to trigger the thing if possible." After several sessions of play, even that might become: "I'll manipulate the knobs to see if anything happens..." and the DM will understand what is being called for. [/QUOTE]

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