D&D 5E The "need" for "official rulings"...?

[Umbran]

There are some players who actually think that other people many miles away know what is more fun for their gaming group then they themselves do. It is a truly bizarre phenomenon.

EW, you're coming off as a touch snide here. Unless you're trying for ironic humor and failing, the reasoning behind your position is pretty weak. As if you yourself don't play games written by others? So, you already seem to think people outside your group have some clue, and want access to it...

 

[Emerikol]

EW, you're coming off as a touch snide here. Unless you're trying for ironic humor and failing, the reasoning behind your position is pretty weak. As if you yourself don't play games written by others? So, you already seem to think people outside your group have some clue, and want access to it...

While I am cautious in the advice I take and the rules I accept, the geographic location of the authors would not play into my thinking. I'm assuming when it comes to gaming that good ideas could spring from anywhere. Now if you want to talk tax policy.... ;-)

 

[txshusker]

Hiya.


I've seen multiple people over multiple threads and forums ask for an "official ruling as to X, Y or Z". Can anyone tell my why this seems to come up so often? ......

....Am I just the rarity that weighs "Phil from down the block" and "Mike Merals from WotC" as equals as far as RPG advice/rulings go?

^_^

Paul L. Ming

I think most people want clarity for things that have changed from previous editions but are still a little vague. And yes, the team of developers at WotC do have more weight than casual players because they have a greater knowledge of the intent, how certain things should affect the overall metrics, etc. I think people are semi-paranoid they may choose something that breaks the metrics somewhere unforeseen or doesn't match up with another rule in another place; the theorists at WotC should have more knowledge than anyone - especially at this introduction moment - if that's the case.

So no, I don't believe people are looking for a "father figure", but simply advice from others, in some cases more experienced players, to help them make a decision. I wouldn't do my own will even though I could take a piece of paper, write stuff down and have it notoroized; I'd go to a lawyer who has more experience or who has a better concept of the intents of the law.

 

[ExploderWizard]

EW, you're coming off as a touch snide here. Unless you're trying for ironic humor and failing, the reasoning behind your position is pretty weak. As if you yourself don't play games written by others? So, you already seem to think people outside your group have some clue, and want access to it...

Getting more opinions on a topic is fine, especially from other DMs and players who have had experience with the situation in question. Treating an opinion as "official" and thus invalidating the opinions of those actually playing the game is the part that I find a bit off. It has been the case with D&D since 1974. There is the game, and suggested rules that the designers feel make for a good game. The rest is to be made up by participants depending on what they find most fun for them. Any opinion outside that group has equal validity in regards to what would be most fun for that group.

Official is therefore largely meaningless.

 

[Minigiant]

Official rulings give the designer's intent and an assumed well playtested ruling to jump off from for house rules/rulings.

I'm a little demanding than most on my DMs and game designers. I want them to think hard and deep about their decisions and designers get more benefit of the doubt than most from me.

 

[Rod Staffwand]

I don't think any game will implode if it reaches a situation not covered by the rules, but many games implode by disagreements between players and the DM on what the rules actually say. Everyone involved with such disagreements really wants the silver bullet argument of "The rules agree with me and you're wrong wrong wrong!"

I don't think anyone is well served by vague rules. I prefer clear, concise rules. If the rules intend to leave certain areas up to DM discretion, I would prefer they be marked as such and include advice for the DM to come up with their own solutions.

 

[Hand of Evil]

what is crazy is that a lot of this "rules in question" are also from old versions (example: sleep vs swarm), you would have thought someone would have looked back and addressed.

 

[Nefzyflin]

I don't think any game will implode if it reaches a situation not covered by the rules, but many games implode by disagreements between players and the DM on what the rules actually say. Everyone involved with such disagreements really wants the silver bullet argument of "The rules agree with me and you're wrong wrong wrong!"

I don't think anyone is well served by vague rules. I prefer clear, concise rules. If the rules intend to leave certain areas up to DM discretion, I would prefer they be marked as such and include advice for the DM to come up with their own solutions.

That's funny. I feel very well served by vague rules. Infact it's the only reason I came back to D&D, since leaving the system when 3.5 came out. WotC realizes that many DM's handle things in different ways, and they built a system that allows a DM to do just that. It doesn't make sense to me to have clear and concise rules in an rpg. There are way to many variables that can happen in any given encounter, be it role-playing, combat or whatever.

I don't want the rules to put me in a straight jacket. I want to feel free when I DM. And I like it much better when the rules of an rpg ALLOW me that freedom.

Nef

 

[Aiwendil]

I don't think any game will implode if it reaches a situation not covered by the rules, but many games implode by disagreements between players and the DM on what the rules actually say. Everyone involved with such disagreements really wants the silver bullet argument of "The rules agree with me and you're wrong wrong wrong!"

See, in my opinion, the answer in this case is simply "the DM is right".

 

[Nefzyflin]

See, in my opinion, the answer in this case is simply "the DM is right".

I openly challenge you on this !

What if your WIFE is one of your players !?