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What do you, personally, need a system to do for you?
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<blockquote data-quote="talorien508" data-source="post: 9660778" data-attributes="member: 7050543"><p>Hi Ian, it's Mark. </p><p></p><p>For me, the rules are the guardrails to lean into when I can't adjudicate a particular event. To use your social situations example, I would try to encourage and hope the players explain to the NPC their rationale and convince them without a roll. If they make a really convincing plea in roleplay or blow it completely, there is no roll needed. It's when the reply is somewhat middle of the road that I will ask PCs to make a check.</p><p></p><p>For traps it really depends on the trap and its trigger. Not to mention how the characters explain their movement and what they do to find traps. If they haven't made express plans to search for traps, it's probably going to be unseen and triggered. Thus, no roll is needed. (Some traps still have saves etc.). If they are looking then they most likely will find obvious traps without a roll. It's only on the top tier traps where they need to be found and disarmed. In most cases I will have them roll to disarm the trap unless they tell me a clever way to make the trap fail or be neutralized.</p><p></p><p>So, for me, the rules are a framework I use when needed, I'm not beholden to them. Combat being the exception, as there is little room for ambiguity. Not that we don't fudge things at times if someone has something interesting they want to do. I want the rules to fade into the background when they are not really needed and be there for us when we want/need them.</p><p></p><p>So I guess you might say I like less rules as a GM. I think 5e and BRP fill that role. If I want more I might go to PF1 or 3.5. I think Savage Worlds and PF2e maybe fit somewhere in the middle. Although, I think the relative complexity is more on the combat side of things. Regardless, with any system you decide when to use the rules and when to hand wave. Not sure I completely gave you the answer you're looking for, but you may understand where I am coming from, since you know me.</p><p></p><p>As a player, I'm flexible and will play any system the GM is willing to run. Rules heavy or rules light.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="talorien508, post: 9660778, member: 7050543"] Hi Ian, it's Mark. For me, the rules are the guardrails to lean into when I can't adjudicate a particular event. To use your social situations example, I would try to encourage and hope the players explain to the NPC their rationale and convince them without a roll. If they make a really convincing plea in roleplay or blow it completely, there is no roll needed. It's when the reply is somewhat middle of the road that I will ask PCs to make a check. For traps it really depends on the trap and its trigger. Not to mention how the characters explain their movement and what they do to find traps. If they haven't made express plans to search for traps, it's probably going to be unseen and triggered. Thus, no roll is needed. (Some traps still have saves etc.). If they are looking then they most likely will find obvious traps without a roll. It's only on the top tier traps where they need to be found and disarmed. In most cases I will have them roll to disarm the trap unless they tell me a clever way to make the trap fail or be neutralized. So, for me, the rules are a framework I use when needed, I'm not beholden to them. Combat being the exception, as there is little room for ambiguity. Not that we don't fudge things at times if someone has something interesting they want to do. I want the rules to fade into the background when they are not really needed and be there for us when we want/need them. So I guess you might say I like less rules as a GM. I think 5e and BRP fill that role. If I want more I might go to PF1 or 3.5. I think Savage Worlds and PF2e maybe fit somewhere in the middle. Although, I think the relative complexity is more on the combat side of things. Regardless, with any system you decide when to use the rules and when to hand wave. Not sure I completely gave you the answer you're looking for, but you may understand where I am coming from, since you know me. As a player, I'm flexible and will play any system the GM is willing to run. Rules heavy or rules light. [/QUOTE]
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