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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tovec" data-source="post: 6061624" data-attributes="member: 95493">I wanted to say that I don't think there shouldn't be a default (meaning I do think there should) but I also think that other options need to be real, they need to be visible and they need to be easy to use. If those three aspects don't exist the "optional rules" may as well not exist at all.Now, as far as this goes..To you, KaiiLurker, I'm assuming that it is like if I assigned an essay, you need to know what the essay is on and what the rules are when it comes to marking it. These are important you can easily write the essay without knowing exactly what I'm looking for. Similarly, if I said you need to make your character you need to be able to do it without a lot of (unnecessarily) back and forth with me.For Hussar and me (at least a little) it is that no one cares which program you use to write that essay on. The contents of the essay are important, just as the contents of a character are. But the program you use to write the essay is what we are talking about. That is the difference here. We are not talking about the contents of the essay or character we are talking about the mechanics used. The program you use to write it is what we care about here.So, with that established it is like we have the following situation. You want to make a sorcerer or write an essay. Without specification you want to be able to use MSword. That is fine too, as I probably use MSword to read the essay. Hussar is saying he doesn't like MSword and the only defense you are giving him is that everyone who likes simplicity MUST like MSword.That isn't really important. What is important is that most of the time you can use MSword and assume I use MSword and everyone is good. However there is a problem. If I don't like or want to use MSword. I may demand that you submit the essay using wordperfect. Or I may run my course with the general understanding that I only accept wordperfect.That is a new dynamic, and perfectly acceptable. It is even easy, because when you are writing your essay you know to write it in wordperfect. Note that no one is saying the context of the essay doesn't matter, we're saying the program/mechanics doesn't matter for the context of this discussion.The difference here is key, suppose that I have specified that I only use wordperfect and then you approach me and tell me you prefer not to use wordperfect. Maybe you want (this one time as an exception) to use MSword. Maybe I'll find that acceptable and maybe I won't. That is what is at stake, the ability to approach at all. I can accept the validity of using MSword (for whatever reason you dislike wordperfect). Or maybe I can give an alternative that isn't wordperfect but isn't MSword either. That should be an option too.It should be a real option. Previous systems that have tried something akin to this via "optional rules" provide very small, limited and hardly universal options at all. Meaning the conversion process is too hard to implement properly far too often.Should there be a default? Yes. There almost certainly will be anyway. Should the setting's default be specified by WotC? Absolutely not. It should be defined by DMs or groups as a whole. Should individual players be entitled to play something different? Probably, but again that should be on a case by case basis more than an absolute right of the player.The only real argument I see over and over from you KaiiLurker is that it would be easier to have a default. The arguments I see from Hussar are more compelling as it should in theory allow every campaign to have a default type with individual players possibly* (*I would argue if done correctly that this becomes Probably) play the exact system they want.And above all, changing from MSword to wordperfect doesn't effect the contents of the character or essay, though it may affect the formatting.After thought: Oh and all of this is equally true about HP (systems) too by the way.</blockquote>

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