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<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 7921164" data-attributes="member: 22779">And, no, taking a turn at the bat is not the same as taking a turn in an RPG.&nbsp; Primarily, the rules define EXACTLY what you can do, where you can stand, what kind of bat you can use, etc. when you get up to bat.&nbsp;&nbsp; And, EVERY SINGLE PLAYER will follow the same rules, in every single game (presuming that we are using the same variant rules of baseball).&nbsp; No matter what, if we are playing fastball, for example, I must stand within the batter's box, I must hold my bat a certain way, my bat must be made of wood.&nbsp; I'm not allowed to bring a tennis racket out and start swinging with that can I?But, in an RPG, I am not only allowed to bring out a tennis racket, I'm actually expected to do so.&nbsp; In D&amp;D, many adventures introduce new monsters that use new mechanics that were not part of the game before.&nbsp; Tomb of Horrors gave us the Demi-lich.&nbsp; A creature that uses completely new mechanics unrelated to anything seen before in the game.&nbsp; In any other game, this would be cheating.&nbsp; It's Calvinball - making up the rules as you go along.&nbsp; In an RPG, it's not only accepted that new rules may be interjected during play, it's applauded. Virtually nothing that you do in an RPG is actually defined by the rules.&nbsp; Your character wants to go talk to the mayor of the town.&nbsp; Where, in the rules, did that mayor come from?&nbsp; What rules say that this town has a mayor?&nbsp; Heck, what rules govern creating this town and the people in it?&nbsp; Some gaming systems give us random tables as an assistant for creating a town, but, the GM is certainly not beholden to them.&nbsp; In fact, the rules state that the GM should IGNORE the tables from time to time.&nbsp; What game tells players to ignore rules?&nbsp; What game tells players to make up rules on the spot?&nbsp; Any action that you take in an RPG might have rules attached to it (combat being the obvious one) but, that's because, yes, this is a game.&nbsp; But, you only use those combat rules to adjudicate actions taken by players that are not actually defined by the rules.&nbsp; The rules of an RPG are basically a long list of If/Then statements where If the player does X/ Then use mechanic Y to resolve that action.&nbsp; But, at no point in the game is any player expected to take action X.&nbsp; It might happen or it might not.&nbsp; Depends on the campaign.&nbsp; Certainly doesn't depend on the game.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 7921164, member: 22779"] And, no, taking a turn at the bat is not the same as taking a turn in an RPG. Primarily, the rules define EXACTLY what you can do, where you can stand, what kind of bat you can use, etc. when you get up to bat. And, EVERY SINGLE PLAYER will follow the same rules, in every single game (presuming that we are using the same variant rules of baseball). No matter what, if we are playing fastball, for example, I must stand within the batter's box, I must hold my bat a certain way, my bat must be made of wood. I'm not allowed to bring a tennis racket out and start swinging with that can I? But, in an RPG, I am not only allowed to bring out a tennis racket, I'm actually expected to do so. In D&D, many adventures introduce new monsters that use new mechanics that were not part of the game before. Tomb of Horrors gave us the Demi-lich. A creature that uses completely new mechanics unrelated to anything seen before in the game. In any other game, this would be cheating. It's Calvinball - making up the rules as you go along. In an RPG, it's not only accepted that new rules may be interjected during play, it's applauded. Virtually nothing that you do in an RPG is actually defined by the rules. Your character wants to go talk to the mayor of the town. Where, in the rules, did that mayor come from? What rules say that this town has a mayor? Heck, what rules govern creating this town and the people in it? Some gaming systems give us random tables as an assistant for creating a town, but, the GM is certainly not beholden to them. In fact, the rules state that the GM should IGNORE the tables from time to time. What game tells players to ignore rules? What game tells players to make up rules on the spot? Any action that you take in an RPG might have rules attached to it (combat being the obvious one) but, that's because, yes, this is a game. But, you only use those combat rules to adjudicate actions taken by players that are not actually defined by the rules. The rules of an RPG are basically a long list of If/Then statements where If the player does X/ Then use mechanic Y to resolve that action. But, at no point in the game is any player expected to take action X. It might happen or it might not. Depends on the campaign. Certainly doesn't depend on the game. [/QUOTE]

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