Rules Lawyers Anonymous

[Mouseferatu]

Hello, everyone. My name's Ari, and I think I may be a rules lawyer.

I try not to be, I really do. I hate DMing a game with a rules lawyer in it; it's a serious pet peeve. I try so hard to stay in character, and I think the characters I play are interesting ones.

But the problem is, I've got a stronger grasp of the rules than most of the people I play with. That's not ego talking, and I don't mean it as a slight on them. It's just a byproduct of the fact that I work in the industry, I manipulate these systems and numbers every day. And when I see a rule being misused in-game, it comes instinctively for me to jump in and correct it.

It's not just to my own benefit, either, although I'll admit that does happen a lot. But even if the DM's made a mistake on my behalf, or on the behalf of another PC, or if another PC has made the mistake, the bulb goes off in my head. I find myself commenting before I even realize I'm doing it.

Part of the time, I know it's okay. If the DM is making a major error, it should be brought up. And I certainly try not to argue the point; once I've raised the issue, I usually let it drop regardless of how the DM rules. But I'm uncomfortable with the fact that this happens at all, that it's an instinctive action on my part that bugs me when other people do it.

So, any of the rest of you find yourselves doing this regularly? And any ideas on how to keep yourself from doing it? I mean, I prefer a game that's run by the rules, unless the DM has a deliberate reason for changing stuff, so I can't just "shut up and let it go." I'm not a min/maxer, but I do base my character's abilities and decisions on my understanding of the rules. So where's the line between keeping a DM informed and being a nagging rules lawyer?

 

[Alzrius]

Hi Ari. I'm Alzrius.

I tend to do the same thing. Not just in games, but even just talking to other people who play (or just know) D&D. And not just for mechanics, but also for setting canonity. I enjoy the rush I get from pointing out exactly how things should be, and actually are.

So far, everything I've tried to stop doing this has failed, so I've just resigned myself to it.

 

[jgbrowning]

Ari,

I've always thought to myself, "Is going with the DMs faulty rule going to make me (and everyone else) more unhappy than what rules-lawyering it to be correct is going to do?" If my rules-lawyering isn't increasing game enjoyment (by decreasing unhappiness due rule confusion or through adding to overall enjoyment) I don't do it.

If it really bothers you, just wait till the session's over and talk to the DM privately. As I'm sure you know, there's a lot of self (and effort and ego) tied up into running a D&D game and even the most reasonable person takes criticism better in private, than public. Although you may not intend rules corrections in that light, they're still criticism.

Oh, BTY, heard you're working on Blackmoor..... looking forward to it.

joe b.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Ari,

I've always thought to myself, "Is going with the DMs faulty rule going to make me (and everyone else) more unhappy than what rules-lawyering it to be correct is going to do?" If my rules-lawyering isn't increasing game enjoyment (by decreasing unhappiness due rule confusion or through adding to overall enjoyment) I don't do it.

If it really bothers you, just wait till the session's over and talk to the DM privately. As I'm sure you know, there's a lot of self (and effort and ego) tied up into running a D&D game and even the most reasonable person takes criticism better in private, than public. Although you may not intend rules corrections in that light, they're still criticism.

Oh, BTY, heard you're working on Blackmoor..... looking forward to it.

joe b.

Oh, I do sometimes wait until after the game to raise concerns. It's just that, as I said, sometimes I find myself doing it without even thinking about it, if I see a major gaffe. No self-control, that's me.

And yes, I did some work for Blackmoor. Not a whole lot, really; maybe about, oh, something in the 10K-word neighborhood. But it was a great deal of fun. I'm looking forward to seeing the complete book.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Hello, my name is Jimmy and I'm also a rules lawyer. Granted, I don't use the Core Rules as-written, but the rules I use are the rules, and I'm often a stickler about them in every situation. I also find that I'm more of a stiff about it as a GM than I am as a player as I believe in the "GM is the final arbiter of all rules", meaning that "These are my rules" is my stance as a GM and "The GM has spoken" is my stance as a player.

I don't think it's really a problem, as I tend to know my own rules and rarely argue or debate another GM's rules (unless I feel the rule has had an unfair effect on game play, which is rare but does happen).

Hmmm... Y'know, I'm half-wondering now... Am I really a rules lawyer or do I simply have a good memory and high tolerance for variation?

 

[Telperion]

Good morning everyone. My name is Telperion and I'm a rules lawyer.

It all started off so innocently. I got OD&D and started playing with some friends of mine. They were really good with the rules, and always had an answer for a newbie like me.

Six years went by, and I played on and off. I became rather good with D&D rules and even developed an aptitude for actual roleplaying, and not just for rollplaying. I started to push my limits by playing very different characters. Tutors, mentors, mercenaries, bodyguards, wizards, merchants, smugglers...you name it...

I pretty much skipped AD&D, but I did play enough to become familiar with some of the system again.

Then the current incarnation of D&D came out and I happily jumped on board. I have been GM'ing for about 12 years now, and it has been great .

The trouble is that with all this great experience under my belt I look at guys who are younger or older than me and all too easily put a bar on them. If they can pass the bar then I'm happy, cheerful and play to my fullest. If they don't pass the bar then I generally adopt this "uncle" attitude: the GM/ST/DM obviously doesn't know his trade yet, he needs a friend, a mentor to show him around, and who better than me?

I love being a DM, but sometimes I feel like jumping on the other side. The problem is that I just don't seem to get along with fledgling GM/ST/DM -types. Any suggestions on how I could get over this obsession of "helping" them along?

 

[Mistwell]

Heh, you think it's difficult being a rules Lawyer? Try being a real Lawyer

 

[Dark Jezter]

Good evening, everyone. My name is Brett, and I am a rules lawyer. When combat is running, I'm always on top of things like attacks of opportunity and bonuses for flanking and such. I know instantly which types of bonuses stack and which don't. I'm usually on top of things when a rule is broken, whether I'm a player or a DM.

 

[Li Shenron]

Hi, and I am Shenron.

Let me say Ari that I don't think your attitude is wrong by itself. In non-RPG games it's absolutely the norm for players who know the rules to correct at any time others that may be playing something wrong. However, RPGs are somehow apart because of their extreme complexity (compared to card games or board games for example) and because of the duplicity of being both a game and some sort of simulation, which leads often to disregard a rule in favor of improved "realism" or viceversa.

The only important thing is how the game suffers from your behaviour. If you feel like the group has an attitude of largely considering the rules just guidelines or examples, your playmates may see your remarks as not very necessary. On the other hand, your group may instead like precise rules as a tool for more consistent exploitation of strategy and tactics, in which case they would be glad to be corrected if appropriate.

In any case, you are not what I would call a "rules lawyer". I prefer to use that definition for players which spend their time pondering every single word or preposition in a sentence on the manual to support their position (which often is aimed at empowering a character if the person is a player, or at hampering a player's idea if the person is a DM). It reminds me - but please don't think I have such a bad opinion on rules lawyers - of some real lawyers in charge of defending a gangster, who manage to get him saved because of a tiny discrepancy in the laws as written.

 

[D+1]

Hi everyone. My name's Duane and I'm a Rules Lawyer.

[python]Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a Rules Lawyer?
A: It's not really a question of wanting to be a Rules Lawyer, it just sort of happens to you.[/python]

There's no question that I have the broadest knowledge and understanding of the rules within our group. I used to get some assistance from one of the players who is more of a Rule Enforcer, that is if he knows a rule is being misapplied he enjoys setting it straight. For him it's more the process, for me it's the end result - a better-run game. But I too see how my tendencies can really grate on other people who aren't necessarily thrilled with my constant input. They'd rather make their own mistakes than constantly be corrected and "guided" in the One True Way by me.

I work hard to fight the reflexive urge to quote and enforce the rules when it has little effect upon the outcome of the game, but often I just can't help myself. Being a DM trains you to always try to do it better, faster, and closer to the rules.