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
