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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 2176923" data-attributes="member: 4937">This is perfect example of why having the player's know the rules is a problem, and why attempting to teach them the rules directly does nothing to help you.&nbsp; I'd consider any of the following potentially valid resolutions of the above depending on the exact situation...ME: &quot;Ok, bob, it's your turn.&quot;BOB: &quot;I want to charge the ogre and hit it with my scimitars!&quot;ME: &quot;Ok, you take off running but by the time you get your weapons drawn and up to full speed, the ogre is able to continue his attack on Haldor and you are still 20 feet away.&quot;BOB: &quot;Hold on, Haldor, I'm coming!&quot;ME: &quot;Ok, John, Haldor is under attack, what do you want to do...&quot;ORME: &quot;Ok, bob, it's your turn.&quot;BOB: &quot;I want to charge the ogre and hit it with my scimitars!&quot;ME: &quot;Ok, you draw your weapon and take off running toward the ogre with blades brandished.&nbsp;&nbsp; Unfortunately, the orge hears and sees you coming.&nbsp;&nbsp; He's whirling that big club around like it was a baton, and just before you get in position to attack he lets you have it.&nbsp;&nbsp; *clatter* *clatter*&nbsp;&nbsp; You only barely are able to duck beneath a blow that would crush an ox to jelly, but even so you take a glancing blow that does a whopping 11 damage.&quot;BOB: &quot;Ouch.&quot;ME: &quot;At least no, Rivaldo is in position to take his revenge.&nbsp; Roll a D20 and see if you hit with a scimitar attack....&quot;BOB: *clatter* *clatter*&nbsp; &quot;Ut oh, an 8.&quot;ME: &quot;You attack is clumsy, but it has alot of momentum behind it and the Ogre is distracted by his attempts to keep Haldor at bay.&nbsp;&nbsp; Despite your poor swing, you still manage a solid blow on the Ogre's massive and exposed thigh.&quot;I would NEVER tell a player that his action couldn't be justified by the rules or for some reason presented a rules difficulty to me in resolving, unless under the rules the stated action was completely suicidal.&nbsp; If it was, and I was feeling generous, I'd let the player make a wisdom check to represent the fact that his character might no better than the player does, and if successful I'd a) preempt the action &quot;Haldor doesn't feel like that's a very good idea. &quot; and b) assume that the character took a Ready or Focus action and get back to the player when he had another idea.&nbsp;&nbsp; BTW, if a player can't tell me within a few second what he wants to do, I also assume that the character is also uncertain and thinking about it, and assume that a Focus action has been taken.&nbsp;&nbsp; This isn't a game of chess.&nbsp;&nbsp; It shouldn't play like one.Also, I wouldn't expect a player to have to know what numbers he should add.&nbsp; I'll have summaries of common 'to hit' and save bonuses for all my players on the pad that I record XP and other notes, before the game even starts.&nbsp;&nbsp; All I need from the players is a decision and a dice throw.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 2176923, member: 4937"] This is perfect example of why having the player's know the rules is a problem, and why attempting to teach them the rules directly does nothing to help you. I'd consider any of the following potentially valid resolutions of the above depending on the exact situation... ME: "Ok, bob, it's your turn." BOB: "I want to charge the ogre and hit it with my scimitars!" ME: "Ok, you take off running but by the time you get your weapons drawn and up to full speed, the ogre is able to continue his attack on Haldor and you are still 20 feet away." BOB: "Hold on, Haldor, I'm coming!" ME: "Ok, John, Haldor is under attack, what do you want to do..." OR ME: "Ok, bob, it's your turn." BOB: "I want to charge the ogre and hit it with my scimitars!" ME: "Ok, you draw your weapon and take off running toward the ogre with blades brandished. Unfortunately, the orge hears and sees you coming. He's whirling that big club around like it was a baton, and just before you get in position to attack he lets you have it. *clatter* *clatter* You only barely are able to duck beneath a blow that would crush an ox to jelly, but even so you take a glancing blow that does a whopping 11 damage." BOB: "Ouch." ME: "At least no, Rivaldo is in position to take his revenge. Roll a D20 and see if you hit with a scimitar attack...." BOB: *clatter* *clatter* "Ut oh, an 8." ME: "You attack is clumsy, but it has alot of momentum behind it and the Ogre is distracted by his attempts to keep Haldor at bay. Despite your poor swing, you still manage a solid blow on the Ogre's massive and exposed thigh." I would NEVER tell a player that his action couldn't be justified by the rules or for some reason presented a rules difficulty to me in resolving, unless under the rules the stated action was completely suicidal. If it was, and I was feeling generous, I'd let the player make a wisdom check to represent the fact that his character might no better than the player does, and if successful I'd a) preempt the action "Haldor doesn't feel like that's a very good idea. " and b) assume that the character took a Ready or Focus action and get back to the player when he had another idea. BTW, if a player can't tell me within a few second what he wants to do, I also assume that the character is also uncertain and thinking about it, and assume that a Focus action has been taken. This isn't a game of chess. It shouldn't play like one. Also, I wouldn't expect a player to have to know what numbers he should add. I'll have summaries of common 'to hit' and save bonuses for all my players on the pad that I record XP and other notes, before the game even starts. All I need from the players is a decision and a dice throw. [/QUOTE]

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