Yeah. There's a rich history of argumentation about this topic. Player skill vs. PC skill, etc. I fall strongly center on the matter. Basically, use the rolls where needed and don't use them where not needed.
The "where needed" part does most of the lifting here.
Aye, and the other component of the argument being that it's more entertaining at the table for the player to describe an action in detail than it is to roll a dice.
But I do agree, it's not an ultimatum by any stretch - If there's juice, then squeeze, if not, don't :)
One of my main reasons for defending ability checks and similar dice rolls, other than a desire to "map" PC skill, is that some players aren't comfortable with RP (even though it's an RPG). So having that roll at least as an option is important for them.
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For instance, Mothership doesn't even allow Stealth rolls because it wants players to describe exactly how and where they're hiding :)
The "where needed" part does most of the lifting here.
But I do agree, it's not an ultimatum by any stretch - If there's juice, then squeeze, if not, don't :)