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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 4713193" data-attributes="member: 8835">It's obvious that information hiding was a trait of the older editions, and it seems to have shifted.There were benefits to both methods, as well as disadvantages.Some key problems I saw were:-Player is limited by things they should know, but are hidden by design-Overtime, player has experienced all the rules, regardless of PC level-GM is forced to do all the work, work that the players could easily do-GM abuse of hidden information, using it to thump players for doing something stupid, whereas if they knew the rules, they'd have avoided the mistakeFrom my perspective, I like having the players know and understand the rules for anything that speeds up game play, and isn't spoiling a game world secret.  How combat works is not a secret.  How many HP the monster has is.If the players know the combat rules, they'll stop asking me stupid "can I do X?" questions.  They can also do their own math.  In 3e, I can keep the AC secret, and they can do all the math, and only I know if they actually hit.  Good enough for me.Every GM wishes the players would forget all the monster stats when they start a new campaign with level 1 PCs.  Fact is, that's impossible.  So once the players have seen an orc, they pretty much know how they work.The only real solution to that, is to generate new monsters all the time.  At the minimum, creating a new custom MM for each game world, and never starting new parties in the same world.The only people who will get the wide-eyed wonder of a new world are new players.  Most of us have been through at least one edition change.  Not gonna happen for us.  We know the game too well, even just as players.Since we can't erase player memories, and creating all new material all the time can be work intensive, we should simply accept this state of affairs and use it to our advantage, rather than opine about it.</blockquote>

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