Rules Lawyers Anonymous

[Inconsequenti-AL]

My name is Al, I'm also an outspoken rules lawyer! Although mostly reformed these days. I have to really fight that urge to speak up over every tiny detail.

If you're a player, I'd suggest a 5 step plan for success:

i) Sit on your hands.
ii) Close mouth. Make it stop issuing sounds!
iii) Chances are everyone in the group knows you know the rules backwards. If they want to know, they'll ask!
iv) Ignore a)-c) if it's a rules mistake that's going to kill someone(thing?) important, derail the plot or if it's stopping people having fun...
v) If you really can't help it, just look all 'fidgety' instead - someone is sure to ask!

Think it makes for a much more pleasant and 'flowy' game all round... As long as the rules that you're using are the same for everyone and theres nothing *really* stupid in there.

Course things are entirely different depending on whether you're GMing or playing.


The next problem for me: I wish I could stop trying to mentally 'dismantle' all the monsters/obstacles/everything in the game trying to get at their juicy game mechanics!

 

[Bauglir]

Hi I'm Bauglir, and I'm a rules lawyer.

I try to restrain myself to only the more serious infractions (such as monsters using Improved Grab to grapple the entire party with no penalties) but sometimes (such as that one) there are situations where I can't just let it slide or wait till after the game (which seems to be common advice), because the bad rules call will result in character death or even a TPK.

I do however also call when errors are made in our favour as well. I prefer to get things *right*.

Ohh and it _really_ annoys me when people make bad calls, and then stick to them, calling it 'common sense'. (In a game that exists largely in the imagination there's basically no such thing as common sense IMO, which is why I feel that it's so important to stick close to the rules)

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Hi, I'm Chad and I'm a Rules Lawyer too...

Like you if I see a rules call that sounds fishy I'll look it up and point it out to the DM. Of course I also tell the DM up front that if he doesn't want me doing it to tell me. My current DM actually appreciates the input though he doesn't always use it. It is ironic because in the game that I am running I HATE how Rules Lawyering disrupts the flow of the game.

 

[shilsen]

Howdy. I'm Shil and I'm a Rules Lawyer.

In my experience, there's a big difference between being a rules lawyer and being a disruptive rules lawyer. In my group, when I'm a player I'm usually the one reminding the DM and other players about rules they've missed. Since I do so whether it benefits or hurts the party, there's no problems about bias. And since I'm essentially presenting it as a reminder, don't mind what the ruling is once I've made the point, and make it as quickly as possible, it doesn't waste time either. If the DM didn't want me to do so then I wouldn't, but that's not the case and on the whole, it seems to help the DM and the other players and everyone's fine with this type of rules-lawyering.

When I DM, I encourage the players to remind me about things I've forgotten. And as long as they do the same thing I do and don't waste time arguing interpretations once I've made a ruling, it's fine for all concerned.

 

[diaglo]

Hi,

I'm David and I maybe a ruleslawyer too. However, I suck at the rules. So I just play and do the things I'd like to attempt and then leave it up to the DM to decide what rules they would like to apply.

 

[DragonLancer]

I'm not a rules lawyer, but I do have one in my gaming group.

On one hand he is very good for me because if I forget something or I can't rememeber, he saves the me the hassle of flicking through a book.
On the other hand, he sees the rules as set in stone and hates it when I make a judgement call that goes against the written word.

 

[RFisher]

Hi...my name's Robert...and I'm a...a...rules lawyer.

I used to be really bad. We'd have knock down drag outs about some minor point of combat. Truthfully, I enjoyed those arguments a lot, and I think some of my fellow gamers did to, or we wouldn't have kept gaming & arguing together.

I've mellowed a lot these days. I want to concentrate on having fun playing the game instead of having fun arguing about rules. It's hard, though.

I do think that, for those of us who have a drive to master the rules, it adds to the game to share that. (And, yes, my fellow players often look at me askance when I point out a rule that not only doesn't work in the party's favor, but is specifically not in my character's favor.) There are, I believe, two things we recovering rules lawyers must watch out for:

1. State your interpretation & then shut up. Don't argue.

2. When the tension is high & the energy is flowing, that is the time when we must work the hardest to not bring up the rules. Let things run fast & loose. You can discuss & laugh about rule gaffs afterwards. Don't ruin the moment.

 

[tjoneslo]

Hi, my name is Thom and I'm not a rules lawyer.

I've found the line between a player who knows the rules well and the rules lawyer is drawn about how persistent the player is about the activity.

For example, GM claims NPC gets a specific bonus to armor class based upon some magic item. Both Rule Knowledgable player and Rules Lawyer would point out that this bonus is not allowed. GM says this wonderous item is an exception to the rule. Rules Knowledgable player says OK, and game goes on. Rules Lawyer pulls out the rule book, points to specific rule which says this is not allowed, and game grinds to a halt while rule discussion ensures. How annoying this is depends upon how much the rest of the players inisist the rules be "correct".

It also depends on how frequently this kind of thing occurs. Once or twice a session probably isn't bad, but every five minutes might be.

The twelve (ok four) step program to stop being a rules lawyer:
1) Admit that you are a rules lawyer and that your actions might be disrupting the fun that everyone else is having. No one is gaming while you are having a rules discussion.

2) Every time you feel compelled to bring up a rules violation, make a note which player is doing the voilation and exactly which rule(s) are being broken. Review this journal before the next session, as you may discover one player consistently break rules either because they have not memorised the rules as well as you have, or they are a munchking rule abuser.

3) If the rule breaker player seems is just missing a set of important rules, make them a cheat sheet to refer to. If some or all the players are missing the same set of rules, make the cheat sheet to hand to all the players. If the DM is missing a set of rules, a cheat sheet for them would go over well.

4) Now you have a journal of rule violations, let the journal entry distract you from speaking about the rules. Make a note in the journal about how result turned out. For example, player forgets the flanking bonus to hit did they hit anyway? Did they miss so badly the bonus would not have made a difference? Try to note the circumstance of the rules violation. Are you fighting mooks where a missed to hit bonus only make the combat last one round longer or are you fighting the big bad where every +1 may be important.

 

[Arnwyn]

I wish my players were rules lawyers - at least in terms of the PHB. My group of incompetent ninnies don't even know enough about their characters to save their own lives, much less save the lives of some innocent NPCs. Needless to say, I encourage PHB (and only PHB, mind you) rules lawyers in my group.

but also for setting canonity.

Now that's unbelievably annoying, if it comes from a player and not the DM.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Hi all, my name is Ben, and I am a Rules Lawyer.

At least my friends are nice enough not to hide the fact that I'm a pain sometimes, and thus, I have greatly reduced my rules-lawyerisms. I can't stop myself from bringing a faulty ruling to the DM's attention, although I won't argue if the DM tells me "that's the way I play it".

I guess I have to live with who I am, but other people shouldn't have to that's why I'm trying to change my ways (a little. someone has to know the frickin' rules! )

AR