ExploderWizard
Hero
... to me, the difference between the way a system with skill rules and a system without skill rules plays out simply comes down to this...
[System without skill rules]
DM: You find a lever that activates the trap door.
Player: I wedge an iron spike in the lever mechanism to deactivate it.
DM: You successfully deactivate the trap.
[System with skill rules]
DM: You find a lever that activates the trap door.
Player: I try to deactivate the lever by wedging an iron spike into the mechanism. ::rolls::
DM: You successfully deactivate the trap.
I don't see any real difference in those examples either. The key factor in both of them is that the player was thinking, engaged and involved in the process beyond the die roll. It proves that merely having a resolution system available doesn't remove player input. With a less engaged player we can get this:
[System with skill rules]
DM: You find a lever that activates the trap door.
Player: Disable device ..............I got a 28
DM: What are doing exactly?
Player: disabling the thingy.
DM: OK. What are you doing again?
Resolution systems can become crutches for not describing your actions but they don't have to be.