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Convincing 4th Edition players to consider 5th Edition
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<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 5984968" data-attributes="member: 996"><p>That's not so much a foundation as a simple reality. You can't send the rules police into people's games to get them to stick to the rules. Heck, it doesn't just apply to RPGs, any game can have 'house rules.' </p><p></p><p>Really, kind of a moot point. Yes, you can change any rule of any game you play, whether the game says "Rule 0" or "Golden Rule" or "Thou must not changeth thou the sacred rules on pain of damnation."</p><p></p><p>Not my experience. Rules lawyering thrives on uncertain rules, ambiguity is the species' natural prey, clarity it's deadly enemy. With a clear rule, the DM sees the rule, says to himself "this is clearly a bad rule" and changes it, letting the players know up-front, the rules lawyer can whine about it, but it's a simple case of rule-0. With a murky rule, the DM doesn't see a need to change it, and merely 'interprets' it (perhaps doesn't even realize there may be alternate interpretations) and the rules lawyer makes a case for a different interpretation that he argues is 'more valid' or 'RAW.' </p><p></p><p></p><p>Meh. Neither is it an iron-curtain dictatorship. Players are free to leave a tyrannical DM's game, and one doing so can open the floodgates... The DM has a role of arbitrator, but the opinions of others should still /matter/ to him, he is running the game for their enjoyment, as well, afterall - something that's easy to forget if much of his energy goes to 'fixing' the system.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 5984968, member: 996"] That's not so much a foundation as a simple reality. You can't send the rules police into people's games to get them to stick to the rules. Heck, it doesn't just apply to RPGs, any game can have 'house rules.' Really, kind of a moot point. Yes, you can change any rule of any game you play, whether the game says "Rule 0" or "Golden Rule" or "Thou must not changeth thou the sacred rules on pain of damnation." Not my experience. Rules lawyering thrives on uncertain rules, ambiguity is the species' natural prey, clarity it's deadly enemy. With a clear rule, the DM sees the rule, says to himself "this is clearly a bad rule" and changes it, letting the players know up-front, the rules lawyer can whine about it, but it's a simple case of rule-0. With a murky rule, the DM doesn't see a need to change it, and merely 'interprets' it (perhaps doesn't even realize there may be alternate interpretations) and the rules lawyer makes a case for a different interpretation that he argues is 'more valid' or 'RAW.' Meh. Neither is it an iron-curtain dictatorship. Players are free to leave a tyrannical DM's game, and one doing so can open the floodgates... The DM has a role of arbitrator, but the opinions of others should still /matter/ to him, he is running the game for their enjoyment, as well, afterall - something that's easy to forget if much of his energy goes to 'fixing' the system. [/QUOTE]
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