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<blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 5034671" data-attributes="member: 3424">I would take a slightly different view. The key difference is not so much the rules of the game, but the options afforded to the players. In many games, the only options afforded to the players are those provided for in the rules: you can't attempt to sneak past a line of pawns to get to the king (although a knight could move or attack over them) and you can't persuade an enemy piece not to attack you (although another of your pieces could &quot;immobilize&quot; it by pinning it). This is practically a given for competitive games. The rules have to limit each player's options, or you end up playing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_and_Hobbes#Calvinball" target="_blank">Calvinball</a>. However, the presence of a DM means that the players' options need not be constrained by the lack of explicit rules for task resolution, although having such rules is usually a plus - if nothing else, it reduces the need for DM judgement calls and makes task resolution more consistent.That said, it is certainly possible (and perhaps even likely) for a poor DM to turn an RPG that only provides rules for combat into a tactical wargame by simply disallowing any option that is not explicitly permitted by the rules.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FireLance, post: 5034671, member: 3424"] I would take a slightly different view. The key difference is not so much the rules of the game, but the options afforded to the players. In many games, the only options afforded to the players are those provided for in the rules: you can't attempt to sneak past a line of pawns to get to the king (although a knight could move or attack over them) and you can't persuade an enemy piece not to attack you (although another of your pieces could "immobilize" it by pinning it). This is practically a given for competitive games. The rules have to limit each player's options, or you end up playing [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_and_Hobbes#Calvinball"]Calvinball[/URL]. However, the presence of a DM means that the players' options need not be constrained by the lack of explicit rules for task resolution, although having such rules is usually a plus - if nothing else, it reduces the need for DM judgement calls and makes task resolution more consistent. That said, it is certainly possible (and perhaps even likely) for a poor DM to turn an RPG that only provides rules for combat into a tactical wargame by simply disallowing any option that is not explicitly permitted by the rules. [/QUOTE]

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