but I’d prefer not to be told what I think
I am merely going off of what you said.
A constant stream of “meh, why not? Fine by me.” seems kind of lame / Giving players carte blanche to warp the world whenever the GM feels like it is lame.
The original meme tied the rule of cool to being a good GM. I don’t think that’s sensible.
And I think it’s not sensible to follow the rules ad infinitum and never bend them at all. The bending of those rules is ‘the rule of cool’.
But there are many other ways for players to contribute, I enjoy using them as a player and a GM, so I listed some.
Which is great and all but they’re not compatible. The rule of cool is something in the moment and you are talking about things that are pre-written and pre-planned. You said that it only works if it’s “part of the system” but the entire point of the rule of cool is that it isn’t built into a system. There are no mechanics or limitations for it which is how it can go terribly wrong. But like the title said, in moderation. If you’re openly denying your players to do something cool when there is no downside to it… then that’s just going a shitty experience for the vast majority of players.
Best example I can think of is of a friend playing a game where the party was descending down a long pipe. It was low enough that you couldn’t stand up tall but tall enough that you had to crouch only to an extent. Most people slid down on their ass. My friend asked if he could slide down on his shield and the DM said no. There was no reason for saying no other than to stick to an incredibly strict set of rules that were pre-built. Sliding down on the shield would have done nothing other than add fun for him and the potential of things going wrong and adding for more hilarity. Like what if that banging noise alerts someone down there? Or if he fails an acrobatics check and faceplants at the bottom, making even more noise and potentially hurting himself?
That is the rule of cool.
Obliterating that from a game because it isn’t outwardly laid out in the rules is just not fun. It’s a limiting experience for your players because of an obsession with the rules as written.
It’s possible to have a fun discussion about a hobby we share without being unpleasant, so I’m going to assume you just want a friendly chat, and respond as if that comment was respectful.
I am not trying to be unpleasant at all and I am sorry if it came across that way. I just feel like you do not understand what the rule of cool actually is and are being dismissive of it due to that misunderstanding.