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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jack7" data-source="post: 4712183" data-attributes="member: 54707">To me the real problem with it (what Reynard describes) is not regarding the rule set at all. I agree with the general thrust of distributing work-load among all participants, players and  DM alike.My problem with the idea is one of information redistribution.If the players know every detail of the game-world beforehand, know every spell and monster stat, even those they have not yet encountered, then it becomes nearly impossible to surprise, delight, and truly challenge them.Or even to challenge them with any type of novelty. That means the only type of challenge left to them is one of an "unbalanced encounter." It becomes then less a game of role play and one more of "tactical information gathering." It is preliminary Intel work done at the gaming level. And if your Intel is flawless, because your source material information is perfect, then much of the surprise and real challenge of any game setting instantly evaporates.So yes, I'm all for more equal work load distribution, I'm all against Intel and information equality.My players will find out what the monster or NPC can do when they encounter that monster or NPC. They won't be reading faultless Intel reports beforehand (you don't even get that kind of thing in the modern real world with far superior means of information sharing) out of a book that wouldn't really exist in that world. Though I have nothing against DMs developing complex rumor systems, or even in-world books that might describe certain aspects of the world that the players could consult. But it is hard to imagine such in-world books being "perfect" or absolutely complete.For instance in a setting there might be a Tacticon (there is a Tacticon in my setting, which the players add to every now and then as they learn more or gain their own experiences), which gives advice on how to fight certain enemies, or even a Monstercon, telling you how to fight certain monsters. But such in-world information sources should not be like telling the players, "Hey, go read the Monster Manual and you'll know exactly how many hit points damage you need to do to kill Orcus."That's pure gamism and makes for no kind of interesting in-game challenge to me.</blockquote>

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