Whoever said that rules were ‘more what you’d call guidelines than actual rules’ is full of crock. Captain Barbossa, was it? More crock than Batman’s murderous, scaly foe wearing trademarked clogs in a slow cooker.
By the next D&D meeting, I’ll have multiple story routes thoroughly fleshed out. In addition, I’ll expect further adherence to the rules. Not just the game rules, but the code-of-conduct rules;
- Talking:
- No profanity.
- No pseudo-profanity, unless it is an established in-world term.
- Talk in your developed character.
- If the PC wishes to talk to something, the player must speak himself/herself.
- INCORRECT: I ask him/her/it where the nearest town is.
- CORRECT: Where is the nearest town?
- To which the response would be the request of a Skill Check, or responsive dialogue. Be thankful; as a single player, you only have to keep track of one accent – your own!
- If it would work to pass notes, do so.
- Talking amongst players must directly pertain to the current game state.
- No meme-spouting, unless it was a meme created through the natural processes of the game.
- No profanity.
- Taking Actions:
- No joke actions for two reasons:
- It confuses between what you think is funny to say and what your character actually does.
- It enables people to try out actions jokingly to get a feel for the consequences, which is, frankly, cheating.
- Actions not involving dialogue must be in the format, “I (verb)….”
- No joke actions for two reasons:
- Courtesy:
- Do not physically threaten or strike another player.
- No mobile devices.
- Food on Plates [Okay, so that was my fault].
- Take care when rolling dice – try not to cause them to fall off the table.
- No cheating. Honestly, I shouldn’t have to even put this on here.
- When figurines are essential (e.g. combat encounters), pay attention to the arrangement of your figurine and other figurines. Unlike BrikWars, D&D has no ‘Law Of Fudge.’
- While rules-lawyering may seem pedantic initially, the sooner all players are familiarized with the full extent of the rules, the sooner the game can progress effectively.
That’s not all: I’m lifting some of the positive reinforcements from the WotC site:
- A good player gives others the space to make decisions and do fun stuff.
- A good player gives the DM the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the rules.
- A good player focuses on the group, rather than himself.
- A good player becomes immersed in the action by paying attention and focusing on the game.
While I feel as if I’ve left rules out, one must always remember the cardinal rule: the DM is god. He/she runs the world, he/she makes the rules.