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<blockquote data-quote="Helpful NPC Thom" data-source="post: 8442722" data-attributes="member: 7031378">I think one of those best practices as GMs is to ignore the dice until they matter, and then get more finegrained. The player characters wander through the game world and do things. They don't make skill checks. They don't ask for skill checks. The d20s stay on the table and nobody touches them until the GM indicates a skill check is necessary.Sidenote: What is up with players asking for skill checks anyway, or greedily pawing at their d20s for an opportunity to roll? The dice hitting the table means you have a chance of failure. You don't want to roll the d20 more than you need to!Once the GM calls for a skill check, the game pauses. It's like &quot;roll for initiative,&quot; but non-combat. Then it's time to drill down on the mechanical resolution. The scope of the game narrows briefly. The GM might call for more details as to what the player character is doing and his goals, then the GM determines the appropriate skill to roll and Difficulty Class.With regards to combat: at some point, you gloss over the fluffy stuff because D&amp;D combats drag on. No, I don't expect a paragraph-long description of your attacks as you lunge at the orc, parry his counterattack, and thrust your blade through his armor. Roll your three attacks vs. AC 15 and give me the damage total, please. The other players are waiting for their turns.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Helpful NPC Thom, post: 8442722, member: 7031378"] I think one of those best practices as GMs is to ignore the dice until they matter, and then get more finegrained. The player characters wander through the game world and do things. They don't make skill checks. They don't [I]ask [/I]for skill checks. The d20s stay on the table and nobody touches them until the GM indicates a skill check is necessary. [SIZE=1]Sidenote: What is up with players asking for skill checks anyway, or greedily pawing at their d20s for an opportunity to roll? The dice hitting the table means you have a chance of failure. You don't want to roll the d20 more than you need to![/SIZE] Once the GM calls for a skill check, the game pauses. It's like "roll for initiative," but non-combat. Then it's time to drill down on the mechanical resolution. The scope of the game narrows briefly. The GM might call for more details as to what the player character is doing and his goals, then the GM determines the appropriate skill to roll and Difficulty Class. With regards to combat: at some point, you gloss over the fluffy stuff because D&D combats drag on. No, I don't expect a paragraph-long description of your attacks as you lunge at the orc, parry his counterattack, and thrust your blade through his armor. Roll your three attacks vs. AC 15 and give me the damage total, please. The other players are waiting for their turns. [/QUOTE]

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