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What DM flaw has caused you to actually leave a game?
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<blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 7502367" data-attributes="member: 6801286"><p>Of course, but I don't presume that the players also interact with that person. Identifying a statue would be an action, unless it is painfully clear who the statue represents. But I'm talking about situations where it isn't clear, and identification requires an action. In other words, if no roll is required, I straight up tell my players what statue they see. But if a roll is required, then I don't ask them to make one until they declare an action. This is what I'm trying to get across. <u>I don't constantly ask for rolls for actions that have not been declared</u>. Because if I ask for a roll, this means there is a chance for failure as well, before the players have even stated an approach.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I didn't say you wouldn't notice the statue. I said that I wouldn't presume an action on the part of your character, if the statue was difficult to identify. I wouldn't start by asking for a roll, unless you first stated an action. If your character knows who the statue represents, I will straight up tell you that it's a statue of so-and-so, with no roll required. But if its unclear who the statue represents, then I don't ask for a roll until you say you want to identify it. That is the difference.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding here. In my style of play, the DM is not the gatekeeper of all knowledge. Sure, I might be the one who has the information, but I'm not the only one who decides if a character knows something. The player has input as well. If a player explains that his character would know something, that is basically a stated approach to me, and a reason to hand out information to that player.</p><p></p><p>What I object to, is the idea that a DM just starts off by asking for knowledge checks, before the players have declared an action to recall knowledge or identify something. If for example a room contains a statue that is hard to identify at first glance, I just describe it as such: <em>"The room has an old statue in the middle, of which the features have eroded over time."</em> I don't start by asking for knowledge checks, because maybe the players aren't even interested in the statue, but also because I would be throwing a chance for failure at them for something they didn't even decide to do.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Imaculata, post: 7502367, member: 6801286"] Of course, but I don't presume that the players also interact with that person. Identifying a statue would be an action, unless it is painfully clear who the statue represents. But I'm talking about situations where it isn't clear, and identification requires an action. In other words, if no roll is required, I straight up tell my players what statue they see. But if a roll is required, then I don't ask them to make one until they declare an action. This is what I'm trying to get across. [U]I don't constantly ask for rolls for actions that have not been declared[/U]. Because if I ask for a roll, this means there is a chance for failure as well, before the players have even stated an approach. I didn't say you wouldn't notice the statue. I said that I wouldn't presume an action on the part of your character, if the statue was difficult to identify. I wouldn't start by asking for a roll, unless you first stated an action. If your character knows who the statue represents, I will straight up tell you that it's a statue of so-and-so, with no roll required. But if its unclear who the statue represents, then I don't ask for a roll until you say you want to identify it. That is the difference. I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding here. In my style of play, the DM is not the gatekeeper of all knowledge. Sure, I might be the one who has the information, but I'm not the only one who decides if a character knows something. The player has input as well. If a player explains that his character would know something, that is basically a stated approach to me, and a reason to hand out information to that player. What I object to, is the idea that a DM just starts off by asking for knowledge checks, before the players have declared an action to recall knowledge or identify something. If for example a room contains a statue that is hard to identify at first glance, I just describe it as such: [I]"The room has an old statue in the middle, of which the features have eroded over time."[/I] I don't start by asking for knowledge checks, because maybe the players aren't even interested in the statue, but also because I would be throwing a chance for failure at them for something they didn't even decide to do. [/QUOTE]
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What DM flaw has caused you to actually leave a game?
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