Since we're having a party over here, I thought I'd join in, too. It irritated the hell out of me that no one referenced the exact text for the mythical and fabled "Say 'Yes'" in this
kerfu , so I thought I'd post it. This is text from my game, which also happens to quote Vincent's original text. It's a double whammy on discount just for you:
Vincent’s Admonition
In his game, Dogs in the Vineyard, Vincent Baker articulates a convention of Burning Wheel so well that I’d rather use his words than my own. He says:
Every moment of play, roll dice or say “yes.”
If nothing is at stake, say “yes” [to the player’s request], whatever they’re doing. Just go along with them. If they ask for information, give it to them. If they have their characters go somewhere, they’re there. If they want it, it’s theirs.
Sooner or later—sooner, because [your game’s] pregnant with crisis—they’ll have their characters do something that someone else won’t like. Bang! Something’s at stake. Start the conflict and roll the dice.
Roll dice, or say “yes.”
Vincent’s advice is perfect for Burning Wheel. Unless there is something at stake in the story you have created, don’t bother with the dice. Keep moving, keep describing, keep roleplaying. But as soon as your character wants something—needs something—that he doesn’t have, that he doesn’t know, that someone else has, roll the dice.
Flip that around and it reveals a fundamental rule in Burning Wheel game play: When there is conflict, roll the dice. There is no social agreement for the resolution of conflict in this game. Roll the dice and let the obstacle system guide the outcome. Success or failure doesn’t really matter. So long as the intent of the task is clearly stated, the story is going somewhere.
As you can see, the "Roll the dice or say yes" rule is for conflict resolution. The issues presented in the referenced thread surrounding the introduction of the crazy H-Bomb or the "solve the mystery now" or "I want be at the end of the dungeon" are not really covered by this rule. They are actually covered in an area above this rule -- the social contract of the gaming group. Egregious and outlandish requests that go beyond the scope of the game you've all agreed to play are addressed by the group as a whole, not by GM fiat or anything like that. You agreed to play DnD, so there's no H-Bombs and there's a particular system you must use to get to the end of the dungeon. That's some basic stuff that's left unspoken in most groups and games. In a few games and groups, it's explicit.
Also, it's worth noting that "Vincent's Admonition" is not a rule in the same context as, say, Advancement in Burning Wheel. It's not a "mechanic" per se. Just like in Dogs, it's advice for how to run the game for best results; it's an explicit statement not to roadblock the players and it's grease in the game set up wheels that helps get to big and important conflicts faster.
-Luke
Post Script: I would like to publicly and formally ask for forebearance and mercy in this thread (and any others I post here, really). Please refrain from calling me and my friends names. I would appreciate it and I think you will, too.