Quote Originally Posted by Vahnavoi View Post
That's half right. It's true that what designers claim of their intent isn't always reflected in basic rules, and what is in basic rules isn't always reflected in supplementary materials such as modules. However, a dungeon master making their own material doesn't have to go by the last in line: it is possible to stress intent over basic rules, or basic rules over supplements. It would be hardly odd to think 5e D&D is a decent game but the published modules don't live up to its potential.
I guess, but that's an awful lot of work on the DM's part. The skill system alone is about 50% complete by my estimation, and that's not even factoring in wanting to use skills when character death is potentially on the line. I'd be extremely underwhelmed by a DM that created a whole scenario and then was like "Roll athletics. Oh wow, 11? Looks like you fell. The crevasse is 700 ft deep, so...you died." For skill checks to be used that way, it can't just be a single roll, and it can't just be the DM asking for specific rolls. Player agency has to be inserted somewhere. And making a skill system that supported proper branching Skill Challenges, it's no small feat (I've tried!)