Rules

Oh dear, hopefully we don't make any enemies with this episode all about the rules! Andrew Block and I discuss a range of topics interspersed with luke-warm takes and personal opinions. If that doesn't sell it, I don't know what will! We open with a discussion around the 'Rule of Cool' (RoC) and how it often belies the tricky nuances around modifying rules on the fly; there's often a wider impact that isn't always immediately visible. Indeed, D&D is a game of two halves where all the players work together to maintain a satisfying balance. Do you focus on verisimilitude and a believable universe potentially at the expense of "cool" set pieces? Or do you throw caution to the wind and allow audacious feats of heroism, possibly sacrificing standardisation and consistency? Ultimately, the rules are there to facilitate a story, so if you're achieving that, you're doing fantastic!

03:03 - RAW versus RoC - verisimilitude versus spontaneity
15:53 - A tale of two systems
21:10 - Empathy with interpretation
41:42 - Does the existence of clarification services and common issues suggest a weakness in the framework?
49:40 - The house (rule) always wins

Follow Andrew (@Nominrath) on:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/Nominrath)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC--jFXPcBpcM5sxOLrHEKpw)

Follow me on:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/Danilo_DnD)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD)

References:

Gloomhaven
@OptionalRule on Twitter
Conflict episode of Thinking Critically
Archetypes episode of Thinking Critically
RPG Stack Exchange
Sage Advice

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod

Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod