D&D General Playstyle vs Mechanics

cool, may you always have good players then.

You can ignore any issue by pretending no one would ever exploit it, doesn’t mean no one will
Do you think it is a bit of a double standard that you seem very concerned by players exploiting the rules and not by DMs doing so?

After all, Rule 0 pretty much gives DMs unlimited scope to modify anything.
 

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Do you think it is a bit of a double standard that you seem very concerned by players exploiting the rules and not by DMs doing so?
no, because
Rule 0 pretty much gives DMs unlimited scope to modify anything.

You still need buy in, but I have zero problem with a DM saying ‘the background as written is nonsense, here is how I use it instead’, and if something was missed in session 0 that pops up in game, I have no problem then either.
 
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I game with folks who seem to be able to think critically about the features and don't abuse them to absurd results. I would hope that's not some rare, unicorn like group!

I really have found that if you trust the players, they tend to reward that trust with good (and fun) gameplay that moves the game in fun and interesting directions.

But maybe I've just been lucky/fortunate.
This tends to be my experience as well, across my 3 active groups.
 

In earlier editions of the game, as well as in official play and tournament formats, the players are encouraged or even incentivized to use what ever means at their PCs disposal, plus their own ingenuity and cleverness, to accomplish their goals. Are you saying those aren't RPGs?
When I read about old school D&D, I get the impression that the mythical dungeon underworld was more of a horror game, to be honest.

You bet your @$$ I'm gonna use that 10 foot pole and other trinkets and tools to study every inch of the room to find traps. And keep a pocket full of spare silver and food to distract monsters so I can run away.
 

This tends to be my experience as well, across my 3 active groups.
Same here (2 groups) but there were hiccups along the way over the past 20 years, I can tell you that much. Not enough to make me quit the hobby, but close.

That's why I'm eager to get to know new people in the first game or two: observing them, what their humor is like, how they respond to what the other players do, how they react to the DM's rules calls.

At this point I'm rather quick to spot red flags. I know within one session if I want to continue playing with a DM, for example.
 


Why is ignoring the background rules sensible, but ignoring the combat rules silly? I'm missing the logic here.
Because your example was a false equivalence. Using the 5e rules that grant the DM the right to alter how rules work if the situation warrants it is not nearly the same as free form combat with no rules at all.

A better example would be if it was super duper windy out and the DM announced that missile weapons and spells that launch physical projectiles had a miss chance during this particular combat, using the same 5e rules to modify that combat as he uses to modify the background rules.
 

Huh?

Yes, in my view railroading is bad GMing. And players who ignore their PC's fictional positioning are bad players. I don't know where you think the contradiction lies.
It's not railroading for the DM to engage the 5e rules in the way we are discussing here. The DM is not forcing an outcome that he wanted to happen, but rather the DM is neutrally engaging the 5e rules of modification because what is happening in the fiction means that the ability would not work.
 
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So if a player says they want to use a feature when it's nonsensical, they're bad players. But with the exact same situation arises and the DM says that it's nonsensical and that it doesn't work, they're bad DMs.
There is a very important difference that you are eliding.

If a player believes something is nonsense and does it anyway, they are being a jerk.

If a DM believes something is nonsense, and stops the player from doing it, even if the player doesn’t think it’s nonsense, they are being a jerk.

This is the case even if you believe that the DM has the right or power to shut down anything.
 

When I read about old school D&D, I get the impression that the mythical dungeon underworld was more of a horror game, to be honest.

You bet your @$$ I'm gonna use that 10 foot pole and other trinkets and tools to study every inch of the room to find traps. And keep a pocket full of spare silver and food to distract monsters so I can run away.
But the example being put forward is players deliberately making outrageous action declarations that ignore or misrepresent the fictional positioning in the hope that the GM will accede. Not so much in-character playing to win but out-of-character metagame playing to win.
 

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