Never be afraid to overrule a rule at the table when the results don’t make sense.ĭiscuss rule omissions, changes, and overruling with the rest of the group.
It is a good idea to give a rule a try before changing or discarding it. (You might still change it, but it will then be because you want a different rule, not because you misunderstood the rule.) Seek out people who like the rule and ask them why. Try to figure out why it made sense to those people. At least some of the playtesters thought it made sense.
At least some of their co-workers thought it made sense. Remember that somebody thought it made sense. If a rule doesn’t seem to make sense, take a step back. When the “in game” justification and the “game design” reason seem less connected, it is often an attempt to keep the rules simple enough for tabletop play.
Unfortunately, many games only give you the “in game” justification and leave you to puzzle out the “game design” reason yourself. The “in game” justification for a rule may be different from the “game design” reason. What really matters is the results of rules, not the names they use. In about 35 years of playing role-playing games, I have seldom witnessed anyone play 100% by-the-book.ĭon’t take the names of things too seriously.
