Balanced Gaming through Rule-Lawyering?

[Kalendraf]

Kalendraf and Shouit - I'd suggest the two of you have a chat and work out what level of rule-adherance you want in a game.

We basically have done this. One rule to always keep in mind is that the "DM always has the last say". So even if I may like to see a tighter adherence to the rules during a particular gaming night, I'm willing to let the DM handle it their own way during the session. If there's something I don't necessarily agree with, especially something that appears unbalancing or potentially abusive, I'll wait until outside of the game to point it out, so as not to disrupt the session.

This is in stark contrast to the the games I DM, where I fully welcome and expect players to bring up rules questions during the game. Almost all of those questions come up during combat, so asking and clarifying such details does not slow down the roleplaying and storytelling which is generally occuring outside of combat.

The groups I DM for seem to prefer the rule-adherent way of handling things, while the group I play in tends to see the rules as secondary. I would say that participating in both kinds of groups has helped broaden my views of how different people relate to the game. While it can take some time to adjust to a new playstyle, it seems that eventually everyone finds their place and we still have a good time. In any game I play or DM, the most important thing for me is having fun and ensuring that the rest of the group has fun too. I bet most DM's and players strive for that.