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Message: <blockquote data-quote="N'raac" data-source="post: 6104930" data-attributes="member: 6681948">I'm not sure what source material you are referring to.  I don't see main character urination in the source material I read or watch, nor do I see lengthy treks described, or interviews with prospective mercenaries, where these are pointless.  I do, however, see encounters happen in the desert (or other travel) that the characters neither anticipated nor desired, I see them delayed (and sometimes frustrated by the delay) in getting from Point A to Point B and I see them either acquire a horse with great haste or spend time assessing their choices, as the fiction may demand.If we simply say "He buys a horse" with no chance of any issue - alll horses are identical - then that takes no time.  If we say that the player gets a roll to see whether he avoids a nag or picks a winner, that's a roll, so we add some time at the table.  If there is a chance of something going wrong, or a prospect of something going right, I suspect the players want some control over that destiny.Celebrim noted that he considers NPC's more important than horses, and I agree.  With that in mind, I would spend more time hiring recruits than buying a horse.  And I continue to agree with Celebrim's take on those mercenaries.  They were invested with importance by the players deciding they were important to their success against the Grell, and that mandated giving them more personality, and air time, than some random shopkeeper.  If you want to tell me they are unimportant, fine, but they will have no significant role in a battle if they are unimportant, will they?I would say misinterpreted (Hussar's assuming the worst of the GM is, in my opinion, a significant contributor to the problem).  However, I also do not believe there is any onus on the GM's part to simply acquiesce to Hussar's wishes to write off the desert travel.  If the transit was unimportant, then a quick trek on foot and a rapid rise on centipedeback are equivalent - neither merits significant table time.  If the transit has meaning, then by all means let's address the manner by which we cross.As an example, while I see a lot of potential for the characters to fall off the centipede, what will the consequences be?  If they are limited to "get up, brush off dust, maybe summon new centipede, get back on and carry on", I see no point playing it out.  If there are encounters where this will be relevant, then let's get the details up front - don't tell me when you need to make a Ride check that "Oh, I was tied to the centipede - how can I fall off" but be riding loosely on its back if a creature attacks.  Just as Hussar assumes the GM will twist the circumstances, why should the GM assume the players will not try to retcon their actions to their advantage?If all you are interested is the action in City B, what difference does it make whether there is a desert or a pastoral setting to pass through, with no difficulties, challenges or time devoted, to get there?  If there is a difference between the two, then that difference should impact play.  Otherwise, it's not a setting - it's just a backdrop with no substance at all, and it may as well be blank white space with a line every 10 feet.That the players interacted with the setting does not change it into something other than a setting.  You seem to perceive "setting" as "useless flavour text".What is important - what he did or why he did it? Would it be all better if he did it because one of the players said "This whole Prophecy thing is getting stale, and I'm tired of wasting time interacting with all these NPC's - can't we cut scene to something else?"  I hope a 100 year fast forward would meet the criteria of "once in a campaign, at most".Out of curiosity, however, is it your view that the GM should have no control over the game/authority over the fiction, or that it should be equal to that of any other player, or the combined weight of all the players, or what?  The GM is also there for leisure, and if it's no fun for the GM, there's no reason for him to stick around either, is there?  [Does everyone else get paid for this and I'm just missing itin my games?]</blockquote>

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