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Message: <blockquote data-quote="tomBitonti" data-source="post: 5746804" data-attributes="member: 13107">This was not strictly a combat encounter.  We dropped into combat for perhaps two actions, or maybe just one, for the pounce attack.  There were initiative rolls, intimidate rolls, and spot checks done, but only the one actual attack.We actually didn't entirely fail: The mission went on.  But we had (or the Druid had) a mark against her alignment for the slaughter.The main point is what happens when the Druid allows their animal companion to run down the escaping prisoner.  What will the cat do (a lion) to bring down the prisoner?  How is the cat to know not to kill the prisoner?That is, what is the consequence of the allowance, in 4E, to decide after the fact, if damage is lethal or not, and in 3.5E requiring that to be decided before attempting the action, but with a consequence to the success chance?I was showing that the trade off (less chance of success vs. possibility of accidental death) is a source of excitement.To drop into terminology (not my preferred mode), in Sim space, the excitement comes from not knowing the outcome ahead of time.  You set up the parameters, and an outcome, sometimes surprising, or at least unexpected or unintended, occurs.  In Narrative space, the excitement seems more to occur from the interaction of player narrations, together with the GMs guidance through a story framework, heightened by unknown knowledge.TomB</blockquote>