Your honor, I object.
- Thread starter Goldmoon
- Start date
Infiniti2000
First Post
Artoomis
First Post
From Wikipedia:
A rules lawyer is a player in a game who attempts to use a supposedly-encyclopedic knowledge of the rules of a game to gain unfair advantage, to annoy or to ingratiate himself with other players.
From Urban Dictionary:
Powergamer:
A player of a game that seeks to use the system to dominate and frustrate other players.
or
A person who frustratingly attempts to win by all means at tabletop role-playing game.
or
One who plays the game for their own advantage; often used by players of role playing games to refer to players who they believe care more about character advancement than about role playing.
While we are at it, also from Urban Dictionary:
Munchkin
Synonym for powergamer. Used most often derogatively.
or
The most annoying roleplayers you'll ever have to deal with, who characteristicly max out their stats, mostly without reprecution, play to mindlessly kill anything in their paths and boss the rest of your players around, and get as many dots or levels as possible. Most don't really develope their characters' personalities.
or
Powergamer who has no respect for role playing and other player
A rules lawyer is a player in a game who attempts to use a supposedly-encyclopedic knowledge of the rules of a game to gain unfair advantage, to annoy or to ingratiate himself with other players.
From Urban Dictionary:
Powergamer:
A player of a game that seeks to use the system to dominate and frustrate other players.
or
A person who frustratingly attempts to win by all means at tabletop role-playing game.
or
One who plays the game for their own advantage; often used by players of role playing games to refer to players who they believe care more about character advancement than about role playing.
While we are at it, also from Urban Dictionary:
Munchkin
Synonym for powergamer. Used most often derogatively.
or
The most annoying roleplayers you'll ever have to deal with, who characteristicly max out their stats, mostly without reprecution, play to mindlessly kill anything in their paths and boss the rest of your players around, and get as many dots or levels as possible. Most don't really develope their characters' personalities.
or
Powergamer who has no respect for role playing and other player
wayne62682
First Post
A powergamer is someone who makes an optimum character (a "build") for a specific purpose within the context of the D&D rules. This purpose can be combat, or diplomacy, or being able to cast 9th level Arcane and Divine spells, or anything else the player wants. The key points here are the words optimum and within the context of the D&D rules.
A munchkin uses loopholes and interpretations of vague rules to justify incredible builds that fall far beyond the context and intent of the rules. A munchkin is essentially a powergamer on steroids: a powergamer merely does his intended role well; a munchkin will try to break the game via their "cool" character. I've noticed that many posters wrongly equate a munchkin with a powergamer when complaining. They're similar beasts, but the difference is a powergamer doesn't ruin the fun for everyone else.
A rules laywer is someone who theoretically has memorized the rulebooks and will cite various rules (typically obscure ones) in order to gain an advantage and "one-up" the DM. See Brian Van Hoose in Knights of the Dinner Table for a perfect example.
And, for the record, it's perfectly possible to be a powergamer and a good roleplayer. They are not mutually exclusive. Not all powergamers are arrogant jerks who want to hog the spotlight and boss everyone else around via threats because their character is more powerful than the rest of the group combined.
A munchkin uses loopholes and interpretations of vague rules to justify incredible builds that fall far beyond the context and intent of the rules. A munchkin is essentially a powergamer on steroids: a powergamer merely does his intended role well; a munchkin will try to break the game via their "cool" character. I've noticed that many posters wrongly equate a munchkin with a powergamer when complaining. They're similar beasts, but the difference is a powergamer doesn't ruin the fun for everyone else.
A rules laywer is someone who theoretically has memorized the rulebooks and will cite various rules (typically obscure ones) in order to gain an advantage and "one-up" the DM. See Brian Van Hoose in Knights of the Dinner Table for a perfect example.
And, for the record, it's perfectly possible to be a powergamer and a good roleplayer. They are not mutually exclusive. Not all powergamers are arrogant jerks who want to hog the spotlight and boss everyone else around via threats because their character is more powerful than the rest of the group combined.
Hypersmurf
Moderatarrrrh...
I don't agree that a rules lawyer necessarily looks to gain advantage.
I would consider someone who pulls out an obscure rule which, read strictly, operates to his own disadvantage to be a rules lawyer also.
-Hyp.
I would consider someone who pulls out an obscure rule which, read strictly, operates to his own disadvantage to be a rules lawyer also.
-Hyp.
Hypersmurf
Moderatarrrrh...
werk said:
I prefer to just draw down my eyebrows and frown a little.
That way, it gives the DM the option of asking what needs to be corrected, or carrying on regardless
-Hyp.
shilsen
Adventurer
And that's why all these definitions are so nebulous. I consider myself a rules lawyer, but I would never say those things. I bring up the appropriate rules at the table whether it helps or hurts my PC or the PC group as a whole. And when I bring them up, I'm perfectly fine with the DM interpreting or applying them differently than I would, or ignoring them altogether. My primary reason for bringing them up is for consistency's sake and because I usually save my DMs a lot of time by serving as rules reference, so they (and other players) don't have to look things up.werk said:
Hmm - maybe I should start calling myself a rules reference instead.
