Would you also let a player skip describing and specifying their actions in combat because they have Strategy skill and just want to roll against that? There has to be something that you describe or play out, otherwise it's clearly a roll-playing game and not role-playing.
There is a stark contrast to telling a GM that you would like to do this and that and describing what you want to do for the round by trying to lure the army down this pass, and telling the innkeeper I want the room for a silver piece.... versus acting on stage at the community theater house. The GM I had, penalized the players for not ACTING. Actually not ACTING out the role. I bought a skill, why do I need to take drama classes in college for 3 semesters just to get a room for 1 silver piece for one night? Why do I need to start a career in petty theft just to learn how to pick a lock or disarm a trap?
In the example of the trap I gave, I was early on in my GM-ing experience and *I* knew what the trap looked like, I created in my head. I wanted the player to tell me what he does to disarm it. Well, that just wasn't fair of me to ask of him. He had the skill, he rolled it and succeeded. I told him how he went about disarming the trap.
As for the innkeeper, I tried the acting out a portion of it, but my acting skills weren't good enough for his liking. "I go up the innkeeper, and stand at my full 6'8" height and look down at him, clenching my muscles, making sure he sees the blood of my enemies and battle scars and I tell him 'you will let me have the room for a night.'"
That, to the GM, was just saying what I wanted to do... I wasn't acting it out well enough for him. I lost interest in the game at that point.
For the Strategy roll, I listen to the idea, have them roll Strategy, if it's a high roll, I give them some ideas that "this may work better, you look over the map and notice this here, so that may work better" and I'll give a bonus to the ambush, or to defense, or whatever. I don't make them go out to the back yard and build mountains and drag a cart laden with goods around so they can show me their strategy, then act out the planning process. Any GM needs to know where the armies, groups, players are set up and I'll give a bonus somehow for good Strategy rolls as well as good strategy (thinking/planning). To me, that's more fair.
Adding flair is great is often times rewarded (I try my best to encourage it), but I don't penalize people if they can't act, or don't use flair, or just aren't comfortable being so flamboyant. Case in point, my son is very shy and soft-spoken and very self conscious, but he loves RM. His sister is younger and outgoing, colourful and very active. She stands up and dances around, brings her own props to the session and acts out the part. She's the funniest thing to watch! I want the players to be comfortable. I know now that three players have left that group and no longer bother gaming because they were uncomfortable and didn't like feeling 'shunned' for not getting up and dancing and prancing with Shakespearean accents and I don't blame them.
Now I have had players say "I roll Strategy to come up with a defense plan." Eh, ok. They are allowed to do that, is it as much fun? No, not really. But I wasn't a <insert colorful descriptor here> about it and made them suffer for it. He rolled Strategy and I gave him some suggestions, those got the wheels in his mind turning, and then he got into the scene. Doing the opposite... penalizing players for not acting, caused three players to leave the gaming group.
The exact balance is something that needs to be worked out between the GM and players, and you don't want it to be a barrier to participation, but I think it's a fundamental part of the game.
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. I couldn't agree with you any more, except for maybe 'a millions times, yes.'
Balance has to be there, and flexibility. I hate to be bashing this GM because he was one of the most colorful, creative, in depth GM's I've ever met, but he was inflexible. He's an awesome player as well and a fun/funny person, almost as grand as he is a GM, but he too is an actor, and he gets into the role and goes all out. That's just not for everyone. When I GM, I add some accents and voice changes, and maybe stand up and move around, but that's the extent of my on-stage presence.
