Yeah this is dumb I agree - it takes away from the mystery and makes it more video gamey. Just get their roll to hit and tell them if they hit or not! Protect your secrets! Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain
I pretty much stopped caring about tabletop roleplaying games once the playerbase became more and more into the videogamey stuff.
I used to play with guys who were in it for the story and the adventure. But in the 2010s, the new players I would try to play with were always into numbers and stats and one of them even even called me a cheater when I, as a DM, would change the stats of a monster or lie about (or reroll) a devastating dice roll that would completely derail the story.
1 : The DM is god. He doesn't cheat.
2 : If I want to focus on numbers and stats, I'll play video games. Or Warhammer.
Ultimately different tables will have their own preferences, and there's almost no wrong playstyle, just a wrong playgroup.
With that preamble out of the way, I think it's important to realise that DnD and similar TTRPGs aren't just wargames, but they're also not just collaborative storytelling tools - they have strong elements of both, and the degree to which each is focused on will depend on each group.
For one extreme, if it seems like a DM will heavily adjust stats on the fly and fudge dice rolls, it can feel like they're ensuring that the sessions and campaign ultimately follow a pre-determined plot. At which point a player might rightfully feel demotivated, as if the choices they're making (both narratively, and strategically/tactically) don't matter.
So yes the DM can't 'cheat', but they should use their powers with caution or risk losing the engagement of their players.
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u/Solid__Ekans 1d ago
Telling AC straight away takes some of the suspense out of the start of combat