Rules Style: How do you Determine the Rules

[Rystil Arden]

This is my first poll, so I hope I don't screw this up. Inspired by some discussions, I ask the question: When you are deciding what the rules are, how do you go about it as a DM? Do you mechanistically follow the rules to their conclusion? If so, do you then Houserule the rules to work as desired? If not, do you make subjective value judgments about what the rule actually says, above and beyond the actual statements, and then say that those are the rules?

As a player, which of these styles do you prefer?

Thanks everyone!

 

[Seeten]

Where is the poll?

 

[Crothian]

no poll for you.....

 

[Rystil Arden]

no poll for you.....

It ate my poll because the choices were too long. Its up now.

 

[Seeten]

Yay! I voted...the choice which was obviously mine from said prior thread.

 

[Seeten]

Easy to tell who is at work on Sunday, isnt it?

 

[Rystil Arden]

Yay! I voted...the choice which was obviously mine from said prior thread.

I voted too, and we are now 100% of the two votes, both for the exact same two choices, yay!

 

[Rystil Arden]

Easy to tell who is at work on Sunday, isnt it?

How can we work on Sunday, it is the holy day of great Helios, titan of the Sun!

 

[Bront]

I think you're missing a choise.

Generaly, when our group plays, we look for the spirit of the rules. There are a few times where the spirit seems to differen from what is actualy written. Generaly, it end up allowing for a bit more flexibility on the GMs and Players part.

Now, as a group, we are constantly tweeking things as we grow to understand them more, which is fine with such an expansive rules set. There are only so many combat situations you encounter "normaly", and when you get one that's not normal, then you adapt as best you can in the rules while trying to not disrupt the flow. If later, you find you did something wrong, you note it for next time.

 

[Rystil Arden]

I think you're missing a choise.

Generaly, when our group plays, we look for the spirit of the rules. There are a few times where the spirit seems to differen from what is actualy written. Generaly, it end up allowing for a bit more flexibility on the GMs and Players part.

Now, as a group, we are constantly tweeking things as we grow to understand them more, which is fine with such an expansive rules set. There are only so many combat situations you encounter "normaly", and when you get one that's not normal, then you adapt as best you can in the rules while trying to not disrupt the flow. If later, you find you did something wrong, you note it for next time.

Using the spirit of the rules would fit under either choice 5 or choice 3 depending on whether or not you think that your interpretation of the spirit is the RAW, but it is definitely supported by my choices. Of course, you can always pick I don't care / Other

Oh and I wrote choice 5 based on the way that Pielorhino, who seems to maybe follow the same style as your group, says that he does it (he decides what he thinks the spirit is and then states that those are the RAW).