Realism sucks. I'm in the real world all the time. It's a lot of work and not very exciting and when it is exciting it can end up screwing you over. I don't want a realistic game. I'm running Buffy right now, so this is a game where a bunch of high school kids fight demons and vampires and keep the world from blowing up all in their little small town. Vampire slayers, half-demons, warlocks, and robots are all valid PC options. If someone claims something isn't "realistic" I'm just going to laugh at them.
Things do need to be consistant though. The player has to have some way to figure out what they want to do, and if action X is a good idea on Tuesday but screws you over on Thursday the players are not going to be happy, and in fact are going to feel railroaded. Like their actions only succeed when they do what the GM wants. When a player says "That's not realistic!" what they mean is "That's not what I expected!" Just explain the genre conventions and tell them to go with it. I've had it stick in people's craw that in Buffy when a vampire turned to dust their clothes and possessions turn to dust too. Unless its important like a ring or something with a clue on it. Why? Because that's how it was on the show, and that's what this game is emulating. Feel free to make fun of it, but don't complain when it happens.
Things do need to be consistant though. The player has to have some way to figure out what they want to do, and if action X is a good idea on Tuesday but screws you over on Thursday the players are not going to be happy, and in fact are going to feel railroaded. Like their actions only succeed when they do what the GM wants. When a player says "That's not realistic!" what they mean is "That's not what I expected!" Just explain the genre conventions and tell them to go with it. I've had it stick in people's craw that in Buffy when a vampire turned to dust their clothes and possessions turn to dust too. Unless its important like a ring or something with a clue on it. Why? Because that's how it was on the show, and that's what this game is emulating. Feel free to make fun of it, but don't complain when it happens.