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Am I too strict?
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<blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 8025047" data-attributes="member: 71699"><p>It means that there are the official rules that players typically invest some amount of time in understanding. And then there are my house rules. Each time a house rule varies an official rule, there is a small cognitive burden for remembering that fact. Say I vary the cost of spells gained from levelling up, I not only have to learn and remember the house rule, but when I am playing wizard and read what to do when I level up I have to remember to disapply or vary the published rule.</p><p></p><p>These are observable costs that you see and experience when there is a widely possessed published source - the PHB - and a narrowly possessed set of changes. It's not black and white, for instance it can be "cheaper" cognitively to add a new feat, than to vary a published feat. An easy experiment to do to confirm this observation is compare player knowledge of the published general game rules plus specific game rules for their race, background, class and feats, with their knowledge of the published Sage Advice and Errata for those same rules.</p><p></p><p>While Sage Advice and Errata are intended to improve the game, at the table it's often more in a group's interests to just go with the PHB version, that every player at the table (typically) has ready access to.</p><p></p><p></p><p>I strongly favour sticking with house rules for a decent period - it's the only way to play test them robustly and tweak, clarify, balance or streamline them. What I am saying - concretely - is that there is a cost on each house rule introduced, and the value of that rule in play needs to justify that cost. I don't think you are denying that point, right? If one does have a constant player group, together for a long time, with unvaried house rules... then for sure that cost declines.</p><p></p><p>What's crucial in my mind, for game rules, is that they justify their presence. Their effect on play must be worth the cost of bothering to learn, remember, and apply them. Additionally, I know from (professional) experience that one drafts far more rules than one goes on with. Some rules should end up on the cutting room floor. Not all are equal in quality.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="clearstream, post: 8025047, member: 71699"] It means that there are the official rules that players typically invest some amount of time in understanding. And then there are my house rules. Each time a house rule varies an official rule, there is a small cognitive burden for remembering that fact. Say I vary the cost of spells gained from levelling up, I not only have to learn and remember the house rule, but when I am playing wizard and read what to do when I level up I have to remember to disapply or vary the published rule. These are observable costs that you see and experience when there is a widely possessed published source - the PHB - and a narrowly possessed set of changes. It's not black and white, for instance it can be "cheaper" cognitively to add a new feat, than to vary a published feat. An easy experiment to do to confirm this observation is compare player knowledge of the published general game rules plus specific game rules for their race, background, class and feats, with their knowledge of the published Sage Advice and Errata for those same rules. While Sage Advice and Errata are intended to improve the game, at the table it's often more in a group's interests to just go with the PHB version, that every player at the table (typically) has ready access to. I strongly favour sticking with house rules for a decent period - it's the only way to play test them robustly and tweak, clarify, balance or streamline them. What I am saying - concretely - is that there is a cost on each house rule introduced, and the value of that rule in play needs to justify that cost. I don't think you are denying that point, right? If one does have a constant player group, together for a long time, with unvaried house rules... then for sure that cost declines. What's crucial in my mind, for game rules, is that they justify their presence. Their effect on play must be worth the cost of bothering to learn, remember, and apply them. Additionally, I know from (professional) experience that one drafts far more rules than one goes on with. Some rules should end up on the cutting room floor. Not all are equal in quality. [/QUOTE]
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