Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 6806974" data-attributes="member: 97077">It's not a strawman - it's an aside. You also didn't address my point that there is no uncertainty in the game that the DM doesn't establish. Should I take that as a concession?Players trusting the rules is important in a board game, but it's not important in an RPG where the GM decides on uncertainty and which rules to apply to resolve it. In such a game, the DM's reasonably consistent rulings are what the players can use to make their decisions along with the GM's descriptions of the scene.I think the disagreement arises because of what you think &quot;ruling&quot; means. A DM is tasked with listening to what the player wants to do and then deciding on and narrating an outcome. That is a ruling. When the DM is uncertain as to the outcome, then he or she has rules to use to help make a ruling. That is the meaning of Rulings not Rules in my view - the DM decides the outcome and, if he or she can't, uses the rules to decide. It goes to the DM's judgment first, then the rules. It's not &quot;If player describes action, then find applicable rule.&quot; It's &quot;If player describes action, then decide if uncertain and, if so, find applicable rule. If not, just describe outcome.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="iserith, post: 6806974, member: 97077"] It's not a strawman - it's an aside. You also didn't address my point that there is no uncertainty in the game that the DM doesn't establish. Should I take that as a concession? Players trusting the rules is important in a board game, but it's not important in an RPG where the GM decides on uncertainty and which rules to apply to resolve it. In such a game, the DM's reasonably consistent rulings are what the players can use to make their decisions along with the GM's descriptions of the scene. I think the disagreement arises because of what you think "ruling" means. A DM is tasked with listening to what the player wants to do and then deciding on and narrating an outcome. That is a ruling. When the DM is uncertain as to the outcome, then he or she has rules to use to help make a ruling. That is the meaning of Rulings not Rules in my view - the DM decides the outcome and, if he or she can't, uses the rules to decide. It goes to the DM's judgment first, then the rules. It's not "If player describes action, then find applicable rule." It's "If player describes action, then decide if uncertain and, if so, find applicable rule. If not, just describe outcome." [/QUOTE]

Verification