Rules lawyer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- “Gaming the system” redirects here. For the Wikipedia policy, see WP:POINT.
A rules lawyer is a player in a game who for whatever reason attempts to use an oftentimes encyclopedic knowledge of the rules of a subject to gain an unfair advantage, to annoy or to ingratiate himself with other players, to amuse themselves with a round of badinage with others, or to test a rule's solidarity.
Though the term originated among players of role-playing games, it can be used to describe people who manipulate the rules of any community or organization for personal advantage or pleasure. Variants such as “wikilawyering” are used in particular types of communities (in this case that of a wiki). When the rules being manipulated are those that (self-referentially) involve the creation and modification of the rules themselves, this activity can also be referred to as “playing nomic”.
Gaming the system is a term used to describe the act of rules-lawyering, specifically exploiting loopholes or peculiarities of rules to gain an unfair advantage.
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[edit] Dealing with rules lawyers
The Dungeon Master's Guide 2,[1] a guide for the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, provides Dungeon Masters (those running the game) with the following tips for dealing with apparent or ostensible rules lawyers:
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- Make clear the amount of rules discussion that will be allowed during a game.
- Do not allow more than 1 or 2 minutes for a player to make a case.
- Make it clear that all rulings during a session are final for that session, with no further argument allowed.
- Explain that rules arguments slow down game play, and are no fun for other players to wait through.
- Defer all appeals until after the session is over.
- Require that appeals be in writing, such as via electronic mail.
- Make it clear (in advance) that only one written appeal will be allowed.
- Remember that rules lawyers are occasionally right.
- Give arguments fair consideration, even if the player is annoying.
The Dungeon Master's Guide further recommends:
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- You're the DM.
- You can change and interpret the rules as you see fit.
- Don't be afraid to expel a disruptive player if you have to.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Jesse Decker, David Noonan, Chris Thomasson, James Jacobs, Robin D. Laws (June 2005). "Troubleshooting", Dungeon Master's Guide II. ISBN 0-7869-3687-8. — tips for Dungeon Masters on how to deal with rules lawyers effectively during play
[edit] Further reading
- James Desborough and Brent Chumley (2003-08-02). The Slayer's Guide To Rules Lawyers. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN 1-903980-36-4.
- Alex Loke. Immoral Gaming. Places to Go, People to Be. Retrieved on 2005-12-30. — Loke advocates Games Masters using rules lawyers to their advantage, by turning the other players against them.
- What Should I Look Out For When I'm Playing?. What is Role Playing?. Retrieved on 2005-12-30. — a description of two “rules-lawyer traps": always insisting upon following the rules and believing that there should always be a rule to cover every situation
- The Rules Lawyer. Meta-Gaming Strategies. Retrieved on 2005-12-30. — which lists the rules lawyer's two weapons as “an onslaught of evidence, textual readings, precedent, and reasoning” and the “dreaded filibuster”.
