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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CharlesRyan" data-source="post: 3423780" data-attributes="member: 5265">SOPs are routine reactions to routine threats. The SOP Eric describes is an efficient way of being prepared for the most basic encounter openings and the most likely place to run in to a trap. Having an SOP can make the game move faster and avoid the unfun problem of suffering a trap or ambush simply because you forgot to completely spell out what your character would naturally be doing.That said, any player who routinely reduces his character's actions down to "that rogue s***" (as a player of rogues, I hate it when people call me a thief) is begging to be taken by an encounter or trap that unfolds in an unexpected manner. Adventures are adventurous because they aren't routine; when players slip into that sort of routine behaviour, I think it's time to shake things up a bit.At the end of the day, a standard operating procedure should only be the rule in a relatively "standard" situation--and when the situation is standard, an SOP is a fine shorthand for player actions. The fewer standard situations there are, the fewer times the player will (or should) wrap up his actions in an SOP.</blockquote>