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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Man in the Funny Hat" data-source="post: 2965810" data-attributes="member: 32740">Well the question involves not JUST the FAQ but the whole "rules support" structure.  The seeds of mistrust were actually sown right at the beginning when WotC took the approach that the "official" answer was THE answer; when WotC failed to reiterate that even though they provided errata, and FAQ's, and Sage Advice, that YOUR decision was always the more important one by far - NOT THEIRS.At first it seemed to be all good.  People could write in and get (woo hoo!) official answers to rules questions and get answers that made sense.  Back in the Auld Days when, for example, we asked about silly prices for items like Girdles of Giant Strength vs. Gauntlets of Ogre Power we were simply told, "No, it DOES make sense.  It can't be a mistake or oversight, so we're simply going to justify it even if the justification is hopelessly lame."  Now we could get answers like, "Whoops.  You're right, that's a misprint," or, "Yeah, that looks fishy to us too now that you mention it.  What were we thinking?  Use this instead."But then, as has been pointed out, they started to... drift a bit.  Answers started to get weaker and weaker.  All the questions with definite solutions based IN the rules were answered and we started to get into the rules with questions that did NOT have definitive answers within the rules.  So they made it up.  Which is fine if you let people KNOW you're making it up as you go along but they kept up a silent front of "These answers are OFFICIAL."  Then their information began to contradict previous information and calls for elimination of the contradiction went stonily unanswered for far too long.  And then answers began to be WRONG.  People came along after doing, like, real research and provided excellent, superior, answers that were demonstrably not just arbitrary (as the official response was) but with R.A.W. references for why the "official" answer was incorrect (or at least more arbitrary).I know that it was about at that point that I personally began to repeatedly assert that the FAQ, errata, Sage Advice, et.al., may be "official" but the best way to go about getting answers was to A) read the rules, B) see if there is an official answer, and then C) if you don't like the official answer use your own, and that this last step should be tacked onto EVERY printing of FAQ and Sage Advice.D&D is NOT a competitive game even if it is sometimes played in tournaments.  It's nice to have sources of "official" answers but they are not the be-all, end-all.  Your own IMAGINATION should always be the last word on rules.  ALWAYS.</blockquote>

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