So is this indeed how it works?

[Midknightsun]

Are you done patting yourself on the back?

Nope, its good to pet yourself.

The reason you can imagine anything is precisely the reason why a game like D&D needs pre-determined rules.

Never said it shouldn't have predetermined rules. Your words. Not mine. Im arguing how all encomassing those rules need to be to make a game work effectively without being a noose.

Anyone can be "creative" - as long as you don't care about the results.

Dismissing creativity as unimportant or easily acheved? And no, there are many out there who cannot be creative. Trust me, I work with them.

Hell, a gorilla can have an art show.

And 1001 monkeys could pump out Shakespeare. Are we done using ludicrous extremes?

But being creative and coming up with something that's worth a damn and - most importantly - actually works is hard.

Apparently this is indeed the case for you. Sometimes my best ideas come out of thin air, sometimes my worst ideas were planned out well ahead of time. Funny thing, that.

That's what I'm paying money for, not for someone to tell me "Never stop dreaming! Reach for the stars! Believe in your imagination!" or some other platitude.

Never said this either. Complete hyperbolie. I think we are just disagreeing on the extent to which those rules need to reach. I don't mind a basic skeleton I can build on. You apparently do. You seem to be indicating that if the rules don't cover what you want, its money lost. I disagree. Thats fine and all for you, and it was done pretty extensively with 3e. 4e is taking a different route, one that I personally like.

Good gaming