AaronOfBarbaria
Adventurer
I think that anything which can be accomplished by fudging can also be accomplished by not fudging and using a different method to reach the desired goal, and yet there are things which can be accomplished while not fudging that are inherently impossible when fudging is on the table as an option the DM might or might not be using at any given moment.
In fact, I would say that what [MENTION=7006]DEFCON 1[/MENTION] states as being reasons for fudging (the group of improvisers and theater folk) are reasons why I don't fudge. To touch on the rogue example, if the story wouldn't be just as interesting whether the rogue succeeds or not, I would refuse to have any dice involved at all - rather than roll, see that the damage was close, but not quite there, and then invalidate having rolled by declaring the result successful, I'd just tell the rogue player to narrate how their rogue takes out the guard, and we'd proceed on with the story (it having completely trumped the mechanics).
Of course, at the same time as I say that, my group almost never finds situations where the story would be interesting if the rogue takes the guard down in one go without any complications, but would be uninteresting if the rogue ran into some kind of complications in the attempt like the guard screaming out to alarm others or making his last living act one of vengeance (no matter how feeble it might prove) by lashing out at the rogue.
In fact, I would say that what [MENTION=7006]DEFCON 1[/MENTION] states as being reasons for fudging (the group of improvisers and theater folk) are reasons why I don't fudge. To touch on the rogue example, if the story wouldn't be just as interesting whether the rogue succeeds or not, I would refuse to have any dice involved at all - rather than roll, see that the damage was close, but not quite there, and then invalidate having rolled by declaring the result successful, I'd just tell the rogue player to narrate how their rogue takes out the guard, and we'd proceed on with the story (it having completely trumped the mechanics).
Of course, at the same time as I say that, my group almost never finds situations where the story would be interesting if the rogue takes the guard down in one go without any complications, but would be uninteresting if the rogue ran into some kind of complications in the attempt like the guard screaming out to alarm others or making his last living act one of vengeance (no matter how feeble it might prove) by lashing out at the rogue.