D&D General A glimpse at WoTC's current view of Rule 0

[Micah Sweet]

More the designers in most cases.

And that's more 'don't know a better way' than 'want'.

Better is relative. IMO it's about what goals you're trying to achieve with your design and your play.

 

[nevin]

While looking at the educator resources over on D&D beyond, I stumbled upon WoTC's current (and free) intro adventure for new (and mostly younger) players Peril in Pinebrook.

Like the starter sets this adventure has a rules primer along with it and a decent size section on how to run the game.

Unlike the starter sets OR the current rule books - it actually mentions and defines Rule 0. From the adventure:

Rule 0. Rule 0 of D&D is simple: Have fun. It’s fine if everyone agrees to change the rules as long as doing so means the game is more fun for everyone.

Has this been defined in such a manner in any other D&D supplement? If so, I certainly haven't seen it. I find this definition too open ended for my tastes! And also overly ambiguous. Does it mean rules changes must be unanimous? Majority vote? Whatever the most charismatic person at the table is able to convince the rest of the table? To me, this definition, while well intentioned, will/can cause more issues than it solves!

Thoughts?

Since the late 70's a small number of rules lawyers have been trying to kill rule 0. Even before it had a name and definition. Mockery of monte haul tables, or those that had made it to unlikely levels abounded. But you can't kill an idea and it turns out most people prioritize fun over rules.

Thier fun will cause problems and fixing them will bring more fun.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I'm more of a gumshoe. A flatfoot. The 5-0. The Po-Po.

Hey hey! The man with the badge! The police! The cops! The fuzz! The P-I...

DON'T... YOU... DARE...

Oh, I wouldn't think of it.

 

[pemerton]

A new player wouldn't read that rule the same as Gygax's final paragraph in the DMG which is the source of rule 0 originally.

If we take Gygax at his word, then a new player wouldn't read the final paragraph in the DMG at all! And so wouldn't know about the power that it purports to confer on the GM.

 

[pemerton]

One example in the past was ability score generation. Tons of people used roll 4d6 and drop the lowest. It was not a rule though.

Huh? It's one of the standard methods suggested by Gygax in his DMG.

 

[Cadence]

If we take Gygax at his word, then a new player wouldn't read the final paragraph in the DMG at all! And so wouldn't know about the power that it purports to confer on the GM.

I was kind of surprised that the closest it came was...

 

[Bagpuss]

Now we have to add percentages to this thing?

Why is it that every 'consequence' also punishes the player with homework?

Mechanically you could have it they just move up and age boundary. To avoid doing too much maths.

 

[Thomas Shey]

But it's a pun in a language that's not even in the settings.

Coppers aren't even called pennies!

Who says they don't have a parallel expression?

 

[Thomas Shey]

But you can't kill an idea and it turns out most people prioritize fun over rules.

And some people insist on false dichotomies.

 

[nevin]

And some people insist on false dichotomies.

That for most people fun Is more important than the rules? No false dichotomy there. Some people love the rules and nothing but the rules, more people love rule 0. I didn't say there weren't people on the other side. I simply said rule 0 seems to be eternal and the other side failed to kill it.