Quote Originally Posted by Magicspook View Post
DnD is a COLLABORATIVE storytelling game first and foremost,
D&D is a toolkit with some commonly acknowledged uses. The trick is making sure everyone knows what you’re going to be using it for before you get into the action. I’ve had players show up expecting something like FATE, request clarification, and leave when they realized a statistically handicapped character isn’t going to be carried into relevance by the power of storytelling and plot.

If you’re running a walking simulator you tell the players that’s what you’re offering. I agree it’s a matter of communication and coming to an agreement on what you’re playing together, it’s just that there’s a ton of different ways to play that are all still D&D. Walking simulator with DMPCs is not popular and is rarely desired but it is not innately bad. The main gripe is over the perceived experience of the bait and switch.