Quote Originally Posted by Psyren View Post
I don't understand this at all; open-ended rules where we get to apply judgement, like illusions and enchantments (and improvised actions/contests for that matter), are where tabletop shines relative to other gaming media. If all I wanted were clearly defined spells that don't need any subjective adjudication, I'd be playing a video game instead.

Moreover, there is quite a lot of middle ground between "the PC has unprecedented control over NPC actions" and "they wasted their spell slot and action." This isn't to say that one of these two extremes isn't sometimes appropriate, but most of the time you should be striving to land in between them - rewarding clever illusions without them becoming a universal I-Win button or punching way above the power level of their spell slot.
Like I said, the games I play in (especially the current table) are pretty combat-simulator. We sweat every 5 ft square, every action, etc. "Soft" rules and ambiguous stuff aren't not allowed in any formal sense, but they're shied away from - at least in combat.