Sure they are. The limitation is, in your vernacular, the fiction.Exactly. And that's a problem. They have a limited list of rules-provided options for their characters to do as if RPGs were a boardgame or video game. RPGs are neither. RPGs have a thing commonly referred to as tactical infinity. The characters can try literally anything the player can think of. They're not limited to that artificial menu in their head or in the rules.
I blast it with my particle acceleration rifle. Now let's run back to the Transmogrifier Box..."There's an ogre standing in the middle of the road up ahead."
This always brings me around to Robert Anton Wilson's approach towards everything.
This bit of hyperbole underscores an interesting question: is "proceed from the fiction" a rule?I blast it with my particle acceleration rifle. Now let's run back to the Transmogrifier Box...
Wow! Not having any rules makes this game easier than explaining quantum physics
Yes, I've seen referees make bad calls. Worrying about precedent is not something that should factor into it. Making a bad call now shouldn't mean making the same bad call forever. Be honest enough to admit you made a bad call and that it doesn't set precedent.Of course, I don't know about you, but I've seen the downside of tactical infinity many, many times over the years. Player decides they want to try something that doesn't have precise rules. The DM, on the spot and uncertain of setting an overpowered precedent, makes the risk much higher than the reward of the action.
Player either falls flat on their face, or gets very little benefit out of their creativity. Having been stung, they resolve to only perform actions they know what the risk/reward ratio is ahead of time. Which is usually, "I attack with my weapon".
The limitations placed on characters by the rules are a tiny subset of the limitations placed on characters by the fiction. That's a problem.Sure they are. The limitation is, in your vernacular, the fiction.
It's not binary. There's still uncertainty and there's still the opportunity to use dice to resolve uncertain things.While I agree with @overgeeked in a philosophical sense, practically speaking I am disinterested in that sort of game. I don't necessarily like too many rules -- Savage Worlds is about my sweet spot -- but I feel a good sturdy set of rules enables play that results in fun. This is especially true when considering the positive (IMO) impact of randomness that comes from the interaction of rules and dice. If everything flows from the fiction, you lose that.