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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lyxen" data-source="post: 8480825" data-attributes="member: 7032025">And I think that there is still a difference between "can choose to ignore" and what the players actually do. Yes, my players are free to ignore the fact that I described the Pit Fiend General of Zariel as extremely intimidating, but they don't, because they roleplay around these descriptions as much as around my descriptions of what Avernus looks like. It does not prevent the assassin in the group to scheme behind the pit fiend's back, but the player does so with a healthy respect for the power of the Pit Fiend. Whereas, on the other hand, I have described the General of Bel as being suave and courteous, although he is actually much more powerful and dangerous than the pit fiend, both technically and in terms of intrigue (he is a unique Devil, something that they have not really caught on to yet). And because of these descriptions, their roleplay is much more "at ease" around the latter, something that the assassin will probably regret tonight during our next session, because her relaxed attitude has made a lot of things slip and she will have nasty surprises when the trap springs.Once more, I think the problem is that a number of people here are talking in terms of absolute, "does this roll have a technical effect or not?", when I see in particular the social skills being much more subtle, the information provided (or hidden, depending on the roll) by the DM might actually have a much greater influence on the way the players play their PCs than a technically passed or failed roll on a technical skill.Finally, I don't usually roll dices (I'm very much for the "ignore the dice" view on the "The Role of Dice", because, as outlined in there, I think that this approach rewards creativity and encourages players to really project their PC in the game world), but I do so sometimes for social rolls, including NPCs, because I'm very much aware than, even with the same attitude, depending on totally unforeseen factors, you can be extremely convincing or totally worthless in any type of discussion.I was at a large conference this week, making speeches and doing demonstrations, and sometimes I felt I was good, and sometimes I felt was totally unconvincing, without any special reason, for things sometimes as futile as having a projector shining light in my eyes and preventing me from really looking my interlocutor right in the eyes, which is something that I really use whenever I can to convince people. Had I been positioned slightly differently, I probably would have been way more convincing. So sometimes it hinges on very small random things, and this is what I want to reflect, especially when I think the story can be great either way.Because of course, another advantage of ignoring the dice is that if I see an alternative where the story is obviously better for the players by making a certain choice, I will take it. But if I don't see a difference, well treating myself and the table to a dice roll on the NPC part to see how he is doing with these local unforeseen random circumstances (modified of course by his personal ability in that domain) is I think a great way to introduce some surprise for everyone around the table.</blockquote>

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