Good rule of thumb

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I'd like to present a good rule of thumb to all posters who come onto the ENWorld 4E Discussion board and begin to make rules arguments.

* If you find yourself arguing a 4E rule with someone, take a look at both your and your discussion partner's Post count. If his/her count is more than 1000 above yours... assume that you are probably incorrect and should really pay closer attention to their argument and the sources they present to prove it.

The folks on these boards have been discussing 4E rules for years and have probably argued against the same point you are trying to make already. You probably are wrong. Not always... but most likely. Like I said... it's a good rule of thumb. If you don't believe me, then move to subsection A of this rule of thumb.

I don't know. I don't think that's RAW, or would even make a fine house rule.

* If you find yourself arguing a 4E rule, take a look at how many people are on both sides of the argument. If there are five times as many people on one side as the other... assume that the lower side is probably incorrect.

That might be closer to the truth, but I think it requires a thread of some size.

The really important thing is not to count the posters or to count the number of posts, but to read the arguments and understand them. At some point, the truth will probably reveal itself.

Spoiler

(She's pretty nice if you can get here.)

And as a little addendum to this subsection A rule... MustrumRidcully is assumed to count as 1 Arch Chancellor.

FIFY.

 

[Jack99]

New rules of thumg: I'd like for every poster to post their age. I think that with anything that relates to the world we live in, including any topic in these forums, older people have more experience and should be right over a younger poster. Now I'll give an arbitrary, round-numbered, numeric value to this rule of thumb: a poster should defer to anyone who is 20 years or more older than he on any given topic.

So you're saying [MENTION=2885]diaglo[/MENTION] has never been correct in his life?

Not if you go by Skyscraper, since diaglo is pretty much 20 years older than just about anyone else.

 

[DEFCON 1]

3: Barring that, the argument shall be settled by a Dance Off, which I'm sure we can all agree is at least as good an indicator of correctness in a rules debate as post count, join date, how many people are on your side, social status, age, or whatever else passes for acceptable reasons for an inflated sense of self worth these days.

Really? LOL! You honestly don't believe having five times more people arguing one side of an argument over the other is a good probability in indicating who is right? That's funny.

So you're saying that if five professional poker players tell you on a particular hand that you should fold, and only one says you should push... you're going to ignore all their advice and just ask them to dance, because that's just as good an indication as their opinions? Wow. I'd love to play poker with you!

 

[Someone]

The first Rule of Thumb is: you don't talk about Thumb Club.
Third rule of thumb: There's no rule #2

 

[DracoSuave]

Really? LOL! You honestly don't believe having five times more people arguing one side of an argument over the other is a good probability in indicating who is right? That's funny.

No, he's saying he wants five people against one in a dance-off.

So you're saying that if five professional poker players tell you on a particular hand that you should fold, and only one says you should push... you're going to ignore all their advice and just ask them to dance, because that's just as good an indication as their opinions? Wow. I'd love to play poker with you!

I too want to see Chris Ferguson and Phil Hellmuth get into a danceoff.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

No, he's saying he wants five people against one in a dance-off.



I too want to see Chris Ferguson and Phil Hellmuth get into a danceoff.

What are the current odds for dancing babies?

 

[DracoSuave]

What are the current odds for dancing babies?

2i + 4.

 

[DEFCON 1]

No, he's saying he wants five people against one in a dance-off.

You are absolutely correct. I can't believe I missed this.

So if I understand you correctly... you're saying that once Ferguson and Hellmuth flip over that fifth Texas Hold 'Em card... we immediately go into Riverdance?

 

[DracoSuave]

You are absolutely correct. I can't believe I missed this.

So if I understand you correctly... you're saying that once Ferguson and Hellmuth flip over that fifth Texas Hold 'Em card... we immediately go into Riverdance?

Just you and three friends.

I'll dance in 5/4 time.

Edit: Also, sig, avatar, and status are now Rule of Thumb-compliant.

 

[Gradine]

Really? LOL! You honestly don't believe having five times more people arguing one side of an argument over the other is a good probability in indicating who is right? That's funny.

So you're saying that if five professional poker players tell you on a particular hand that you should fold, and only one says you should push... you're going to ignore all their advice and just ask them to dance, because that's just as good an indication as their opinions? Wow. I'd love to play poker with you!

As amusing as a 15-on-3 dance off would be, I do think it would be just as good an indicator of proving "correctness" in a rules debate then someone in such a discussion saying "well let's put it up to a vote." The most lopsided argument I've seen on here was about 3-1 (maybe 4-1) arguing that the new Magic Missile most certainly was not an attack, and we all know how that turned out.

Having more people on your side in a thread does not give you the "correct interpretation" or even the "most common interpretation" but rather the "most common interpretation amongst ENworld 4e forum posters", which, from a statistical standpoint, is such a small sample set it'd be ludicrous to base any assumptions on even the most lopsided of arguments.

I'd also comment on how the reads of a handful of poker players could in any way relate to a rules discussion, but I suppose I opened the door to the ludicrous on this one. I will at least say that I'll take anything Phil Hellmuth suggests to me with a grain of salt. Now there is a guy who uses bullying and intimidation to disguise middling-at-best poker play.

I would bet he could probably beat Ferguson in a Dance Off though.