>From what David C. has been saying, it seems to me that debate is over
whether "Feat Punning" is a good thing.
"I tap the boulder with my saber as if it were a wand, using my Lightening Sword feat. This makes the boulder less heavy and I can now pick it up and carry it."
"I use my Lightning Bolt feat to run away very quickly / make all the lettuce nearby wilt / create a roll of sparkling cloth."
(I'll also cite my previous definition of "Wind Sword"...)
BTW, as a game player, one thing I happen to dislike is situation where my character's abilities/performance in the game depends on or tracks the out of game ability of me, the player. (some non-HW examples) I was in a game where calls on divine intervention depended on my ability to word a prayer in real time, when the GM could then interpret in "evil genie" mode. That just didn't feel fair. Similarly, the idea of speeding up combat by telling players that if they haven't decided what to do as the referee calls out their strike ranks, then their characters just stand around with their fingers in their noses - that isn't fair to players who are either inexperienced, or aren't real time wargaming types. Thankfully, I haven't played in a game like that.
Ob-HW, I worry that the "whatever you can con the Narrator into allowing" mechanic can similarly penalize some players.
I also wonder about what I've perceived as a need for constant novelty. A typical response to "what stops Hero from doing X repeatedly" has been "when it isn't novel anymore, penalize it". Does this mean that Lunar regiments get less effective during a battle as the novelty of their formation wears off? Or how about a scene like "Their axes rise and fall to the steady rhythm of their chant as they slowly advance across the field, a bloody swath in their wake." This earns a penalty or a lower AP bid over succeeding exchanges because the same action is being repeated? Ditto succeeding contests/future battles?
(HackMaster moment: "How many times has the Black Horse Troop charged like this before?" "Hundreds, at least." "Then I calculate that they get a negative ten bumps for a same-old-thing penalty.")
Maybe this is just me, but it's not fun for me to play when I don't know what I can do in the game because it depends on not the rules, but how the Narrator feels at the moment. (Oh my! I may be coming to understand the value of a "Government of Laws and not Men.")
It does make for a game that an Illuminated Eurmali Shaman could love, though.
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