This is going to be a little long...sorry.
I've had this same debate with all my players very recently. Just like this list, they were split down the middle. Our senario is a tad diffrent or more extreme I should say.A couple of us wanted to play around with the idea of having NO dice in the game. None! Zilch! Not even a little bitty D4. No character sheets, no rule system, just excellent story.
Imagine playing in a game where there isn't any random affects. The players determine every action they take by role playing it out and giving indepth descriptions, the GM lays out the world around the players and determines the outcomes of the players decisions.......................... Imagined it yet? If you have then some of you may be asking yourselves the same questions my players asked me, "What kind of say-so would I have on the outcomes." What do you mean NO dice?" "So the GM just gets everything he wants?" (My personal favorite). The ultimate problem the players had with accepting this idea was that they thought they were losing the ability to determine thier own outcomes by taking out the dice rolls. The fact is, the player NEVER has the ability to determine thier own outcome! They roll the dice and hope for the best. Now there are a few systems that would be more supportive to being able to make sure you succeed, such as Deadlands and SAGA, but in the end it all comes down the GM. The rules in any game usually say something in it about the GM having the final say so on any of the rules, bla, bla, bla, so he can by the rules, do ANYTHING he wants.
I as a GM take advantage of that alot. I do have a story to tell. I just don't know what that story is until the players come up with it. It's the player's story! Someone said something on here about being railroaded through some DM's story........dude, it might be that you're playing with the wrong DM. I should know because I've got one that will lay out a plan that he wants before the game starts and all we do is go for a ride. Yes, it SUCKS! I've also played with the type that let us make our own story but was strict on following the dice, and I mean strict. Example.....D&D random encounter chart, the party is sleeping and wolves attack, we were like 3rd level or something and the gaurd missed whatever roll was needed to spot em'. No armor and groggy from sleep we all died right there near our tents. What a wonderful end, don't you think? NOPE. That's just terrible. It's not fun, escpecially if you're like me and you put alot into making your characters. You have to have alot of trust in a DM. A DM that abuses that trust and gives you a shitty ending to a what would have been a good story, just because the dice said so...I'm afraid that does make him BAD!
In that case I honestly believe that a good GM should do whatever is necessary to make sure it's fun...and being killed off that way wouldn't be it. A GM that just lets that happen, isn't very creative. But all this gets me to my next point.....if those of you who decide to fudge rolls are ultimately in control anyways, then why not shed the illusions and just go with a diceless game. That's what I've started to do. I'm going to slowly weed more a more dice out of the system and eventually it's going the be a group of gamers coming together and having the best gaming experience of thier lives. Atleast that's the plan....LOL
Just some thoughts from a back woods boy in Baton Rouge, so take it for it's worth.