Thursday, October 17, 2013

Taking the Lawyer out of Rules Lawyering


For anyone who has played any GW games for awhile it becomes apparent that the rules are neither concise nor complete.  GW has gaps and often when they introduce more codices into the game, they introduce more holes and unclear interactions.  This especially happens when bringing in allies because not only are you doubling your fun you are also doubling vague rule interactions.
A brief introduction to the two ways that people try to resolve these rules arguments are 'Rules As Written' (RAW) and 'Rules As Intended' (RAI).  Rules As Written assumes that all answers to the rules are somewhere in the rule books.  Rules As Intended tries to perceive what GW's original intent when they write a rule.  I'm a strong believer that one must try to use both when trying to figure out the correct rules.

Back to the original intent of this article and overcoming those obstacles when they occur in play.  I am going to break this article down into casual/friendly playing and tournament playing because they require different mind sets in trying to resolve disputes.

Casual Play


You're playing a buddy and he does something that you think is against the rules.  What do you do?  If you want to ruin the fun break out the rule book and challenge him on everything.  The first thing you should ask yourself before doing anything is - 'Is this relevant to the game?'  What do I mean by that?  For example, if it is the last turn of the game and it has no relevance to the outcome then does it really matter?  If the answer is no then just let it go and bring it up after the game has ended in a friendly way.
The other way to try and resolve disputes is ask a third party for their opinion, preferably someone you both trust to be able to answer the question.  However, before proceeding down this road make sure it is agreeable to your opponent that is how you are trying to resolve the dispute.  If they don't agree before hand and the decision is to either person's liking then it really just drag on and now you have more people involved in the argument.
If all else fails you can just D6 the decision like it says in the rule book.  It's quick and easy, but for someone like me I dislike the arbitrariness of a die rule on rules.
I strongly suggest that you put a time limit on discussions like these to about five minutes.  Usually anything past five minutes doesn't bring any new information and it drags the game on and starts to make it unfun. 
If you disagree with how the rules decision went then write it down and research it after the game.  If you can't find an answer by reading the rule books then there are plenty of sites online where you can present rules questions.

Tournament Play


Before going to a tournament I try to print out all the FAQ's from GW's site to make sure that I have the most current FAQ on hand.  I also make sure that I have the appropriate rule books with me and have read through any special rules several times so I know what they do.
If the tournament includes a lot of players, then the chance of having a rules dispute probably goes up exponentially.  Also realize that if you are going to a tournament that is not just for local players, different stores/areas play rules in different ways.  Do not be surprised to find that the person across from you does things in slightly different manner.  If in doubt, discuss it before the dice start rolling.
On a side note here, if you are unsure of the rules of the other person's army then you are perfectly okay to ask to see their codex for the relevant rules.  If they state a rule that seems questionable, then make sure you ask the question and look at the rule.  You have a right to see the rule that is in their codex.
When a rules disagreement occurs in a tournament then both players have an immediate out.  Either player has the ability to call a rules judge over for a decision.  I strongly suggest that you never get into a heated argument over rules at a tournament and as soon as you realize that there is an impasse in regards to different rules that you call over a rules judge.
When the rules judge comes over state your case clearly and succinctly and allow your opponent to do the same.  It is helpful and usually moves the process along faster if you have the relevant rules open in the books in case they need to look at the wording.
A word of caution, rule judges are not infallible.  Having been at tournaments I have seen them make the wrong calls which cost me games and cost my opponent games.  I have also been a rules judge and have gotten the rules wrong.
When planning on going to a tournament if there is a rule that you want clarification about because you have a strategy that depends on certain rule interactions then you should email the tournament organizer before hand and ask.  You should get a response.  Print out that response and take it with you.  Your opponent may not accept it, but the rules judge usually will when you show it to him.
After playing in a lot of tournaments on a nationally level and also talking to other tournament players these is my general assessment of the behavior during games.  At the top tables, they are quick to call you on any rule mistakes you make but if you forget to cast psychic powers before moving there generally is no "Gotcha!" type shenanigans.  The environment is generally more casual and friendly.  The middle tables is where the douche bags are at and where people will play "Gotcha!" if you forget anything.  The low tables is usually once again where people are friendlier and more casual.
In conclusion, 40K is a game that has lots of flaws in its rules thanks to the lack of any type of editorial staff at GW.  At the beginning of 6th edition GW was good at updating their FAQ's online but in the last half year they have dropped off again.  Most people don't like arguing the rules, and then there are people like me who do.  These are tips to help get around these problems when playing both casually and in tournament settings.  Some of these tips can be used in both casual and tournament play.
-written by Alan Campbell

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