But are they present? What if they aren't? What if your mental model says that the character feels one way and the rules say they feel another way? And of course, if the description sufficiently evoked the emotion already, you don't need the rules to say the same thing.
Well, if there’s no chance of being afraid, then why are any kind of fear rules being invoked?
Again, getting away from D&D-esque social skills… let’s look at the knight and the brothel situation. This is a known weakness of the knight. The player knows that if the character goes in there, there will be temptation, and he’ll have to make a roll. This could distract him from his purpose of being there in the first place… making this a tough decision because there is risk involved.
If I’m free to decide how my character acts, there’s no risk.
But that is taking away agency!
But the point of them isn’t to take away agency. The point of them is to emulate the genre and also to create dramatic decision points for the knights.
And I am quite familiar with Arthurian stories. Lancelot is in love with the wife of his king and best friend, and eventually will betray him for that reason. But to me it loses its pathos if that is not a choice by Lancelot, if he is just some automaton driven by his passions. And in agame I don't think "can I roll the right number" is an interesting test of virtues and values.
I would argue that any test of virtues and values that would be interesting or meaningful needs to have some risk involved. Your way is entirely without risk.
Because it is not the same thing! The weak charcter can still want to get otherside of the wall, and can now devise other methods to get there. But rules that dictate the mental state of the chracter affect what they want. This will short cirquit the whole playloop.
What? No. A wall blocks a character physically. A guard that can’t be bribed or that intimidates blocks a character socially. Neither character no linger wants to get inside… they’ve simply been thwarted in the attempt.
The point of character immersion is to lessen that distance, and go with the flow of what the inner mental model of the character says. So no, you cannot fully control it, just like you cannot fully control your real life responses. Like my play example from Blades earlier, I could not have chosen other reaction and remain true to the character.
You absolutely can control your character’s response. And your response will by its nature be different than your character’s. At the very least, it is likely to be less severe. The fear of losing a PC is a type of fear, but it cannot be equated with the fear of dying.
So, when something like this comes up in play, you may be worried as the player. But maybe the character wouldn’t be worried at all! Are you going to roleplay your character as being scared because you are worried that the situation they’re facing might kill them, even if you’ve imagined them to be the kind of person who is unlikely to give in to such concerns?
I doubt it. You will play the character as you’ve imagined them, regardless of whatever personal emotion you may feel. Because your impulse is not what matters. Your considered decision is what matters.
