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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 5397099" data-attributes="member: 22779">If you swim WAY upthread, you'll see Beginning of the End describing how there was equal power between the players and the DM at a D&D table.  I disagreed with that point.  Since then, apparently, everyone thinks that I'm against the power disparity.  I'm not.  I'm simply pointing out what I believe to be blindingly obvious - the DM controls the lions share of power at a D&D table.So, I can sell those coins for ten times their value?I can bring in my Battlemaster Battlemech into your D&D game?I can sprout wings and fly?Saying that you never veto an attempted action by a player may very well be true.  I don't want to DM that way, but, hey, if it works for you.  I have no problems with the idea of "say yes" and I do believe that's a great way to DM.  But, there's the other side of "Say yes" which is "Yes, but" or "Yes, and".  But, in any case, the statement of "Say yes" includes the implicit meaning that you have the authority to say yes.  After all, no other player at the table can.  No other player at the table could declare that a cult member was included in Pemerton's example.  Only the DM.For the power to be equal, the player would have to be able to declare that there is a cult member in the delegation and the DM would then be obligated to adjust reactions accordingly.  Lots of games do give power to the players in this way.  Story games are based around the idea of this sort of power sharing to varying degrees.But, at the end of the day, in D&D, the DM always has final say.  The player can do nothing without the DM's explicit permission to do so.  A player cannot even open a door to a room without informing the DM.  A DM, OTOH, is under no such constraints regarding NPC's.</blockquote>

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