Here is an excerpt from the main rules about understanding the character's relationship to the setting and system.

http://www.orbit-rpg.com/alls_key.pdf

I hope this clarifies the Player's role better. 

I don't think it does, in terms of selling a key feature. It takes about two paragraphs to say it and even then it's hidden in 'what your characters doing/can do - lets forget the players exist', when really it's not about character empowerment at all, but player empowerment. There needs, IMO, to be a direct and explicit reference to what the player gets (simulationist protagonism, I might call it).

Right from the start I'd say something like 'Instead of dud dice rolls making your wiley theif look like an incompetent fool, "All's quiet" only lumbers the NPC's/game world. So it's the poor fool sap of a guard who, on a bad roll, doesn't notice your cunning theif slip by. And if the guard does notice him, it wasn't because your theif was a clumsy fool, but because the guard managed to get lucky that day. Your theif will always be as sharp and cunning as you imagine him! Let your imagination loose! The only thing that can stop such a talent is if the game world gets lucky!'

All IMO, of course.

Thanks, Callan.  I know I get lost in trying to get the words to come out right.  I either over explain, or under explain, struggling between the theory of it and the simple point-of-view of just wanting to play. I'm going to go over that part again, this time taking your "sim protagonism" with me.  Your example hits the mark in about 29 less sentences than I used!

Theory, shmeory.

 

Based on your description, I get the impression that a given safe or lock will remain equally difficult at all times, so depending on my thief's lockpicking skill, I will always succeed or fail, depending on our relative strengths.  So, a die-roll for success would be unnecessary.  That is my impression.  Humans and monsters, all very unpredictable, but a safe...  Of course, I wouldn't be upset if there was a roll to see how long it would take me to succeed or determine that the lock is too good for me to pick...

Mutex, you are exactly correct.  And it's in the latest draft of the rules.  Since we are dealing with mods, you can easily tell if you would be automatically successful.

For example, a lock with a TN of 10 let's say --it's an ordinary door.  If you can pick locks +3 you will always succeed because 10+3 = 13, impossible to roll on 2d6.

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Here follows also my revised player-to-system explanation vis-a-vis Callan's suggestions.
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When you roll dice, you are always rolling dice for the opponent’s chance of success.  No matter if the opponent is a living opponent (such as a guard), or an inanimate object (such as a locked door).  Because in this system your clever thief character is assumed to always be trying their best, and thus it is understood that they are always successful at doing the best they can, with whatever resources they have. 

In short, the only unknown factor is the people and things that exist in the game world.  These are the things you roll dice for.  Your character never fails, the only thing that can ever fail is the character’s opponents, or the challenges set before them. 

This point of view is central to the All’s quiet… game and although it appears to be a subtle one, it is important because it reinforces the fact that your character knows what they are doing --they are a professional thief after all.  Again, it is always assumed that your character is trying their best to stay hidden, to creep silently, and so on.  In short, you (the Player) knows what is in the mind of your character because you are role-playing them, and you know that your character is always trying their best. 

Role-playing your character
Because of the stance this system takes, Players are free to imagine and describe what their characters do as colorfully and with as much flavor as they decide, without worrying about any artificial boundaries, such as so-called “game balance” and so on.  Players can role-play as daring, or as conservative, as they like and never upset the rules.   

   

That is an interesting system.  It inverts the whole dice roll philosophy.

Thank you.  It occasionally bends my brain to remember to look at things from that perspective --the notion that my character never fails to perform an action he well *knows* how to perform.  And that it's only a question of "Is his effort enough?" relative to the challenge.

I hate to use the following terminology, but in essence it's like rolling saving throws --but for the game world.

It should also be noted, if you want to, it lets you play the clumsy thief who, despite that, gets his theiving done. Or the up and coming new talent thief, who's skills are sharpening with each guard fooled. It's really quite flexible, because it's leaving the invention of what actually happened to the player, all without resorting to hand waving freeform!

Callan, with your permission may I use your exact words?  That is darn a near perfect description.

If you check the spelling first, yes! :)