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mmm the last bit, the most important rule in the game?
Have fun? Rule 0?
...
I figured this deserved its own topic, because it really got me thinking. What do you consider the most important rule of the game?
I like both of march1.9pants' answers to the question. Have fun and Rule 0 easily trump anything else going. Without those two, we are pretty misserable.
But setting aside both those answers, talking about /real/ mechanical rules instead of rules of behavior and sportsmanship... what do you consider the most important rule?
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The rule of cool - The DM must give a reasonable chance for any action that is deemed appropriately awesome.
Examples include:
"Can I tie myself to the dragon so that I can keep fighting it if it tries to get away?"
"I have ranks in Ride, can I ride the Bullette?"
"Can I jump off the airship onto the dragon's face and headbutt him?"
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Apart from the items above, "roll a d20 and hope for high numbers". But I don't know how they'd fill an entire blog entry with that. :-)
I'm curious on what they will blog about, too. And I look forward to it.
For me the most important rule in the game is: Always Round Down.
It prevents abuse and math problems, as well as makes everything simple to figure out. It is often under appreciated.
It has to be have fun. That is and always will be the most important rule. It is after all a game, not a job or responsibility, a game. If you aren't laughing, smiling, or feeling awesome/accomplished at the gaming table, then something is seriously wrong. Yes the mechanics are important, the story is important, but if your not having fun when why would anyone bother to play?
There's a Gygax quote somewhere about not needing any rules...
But I have to say, I'm kind of a fan of the Core Mechanic.
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The rule of cool - The DM must give a reasonable chance for any action that is deemed appropriately awesome.
Examples include:
"Can I tie myself to the dragon so that I can keep fighting it if it tries to get away?""I have ranks in Ride, can I ride the Bullette?"
"Can I jump off the airship onto the dragon's face and headbutt him?"
The rule of cool by Dudemeister is what has allowed our game to be so much fun.
A few examples:
"Can I do a jackie chan and skitter down between two buildings to lessen the damage of the fall?"
"Can I pull the bad guy off the roof and into the pool, making sure when we land, I am on top of him?"
Things like this are pretty cool to see someone roll a 20 on, and succeeding in the manuever, and pulling off a major cool cinematic moment that they will remember for a long time.
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It has to be have fun. That is and always will be the most important rule. It is after all a game, not a job or responsibility, a game. If you aren't laughing, smiling, or feeling awesome/accomplished at the gaming table, then something is seriously wrong. Yes the mechanics are important, the story is important, but if your not having fun when why would anyone bother to play?
I like this one. Through various hints and discussions, I try to convey this to my DM. Sometimes he thinks he has this great thing going, but he never stops to think if the players are enjoying it as much as he is. And he also talks about "how much work" he's put into it.
I'd like to add:
Here are the rules, but in the end, it's your game. Play the game how you want.
Someone mentioned Gygax. Things like this were in the books going all the way back to the basic boxed set.
That's what made me laugh about the "edition" wars. People 1000s of miles away arguing over the internet about how someone they don't even know plays a game they went out and spent money on. Hilarious!
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Rule #1 Have fun. It's a game!
Rule #2 It's your world. You can bend the rules to make it work!
Rule #3 If someone's not having fun, make it so they are.
A funny story about that rule. I was running an Arcana Unearthed adventure and the characters split up. (I think one of my players was having a bad day or something.) I kept trying to get them back together again because one of the players was staying with the story I had written, and the other one was just wandering off in the wilderness. Anyway, I'm still not entirely certain why, but she got jealous that the one following the story was having more fun. Eh, I did what I could for the other player, but she was way off the beaten path.
The #1 rule is...
It’s your game! Use the rules and mechanics you like; change the ones you don’t care for.
That and the DM has the final say on rulings.
Oh, and have fun too. :)
The most important rule:
"Kae'Yoss is always right. Always. Sometimes the universe is wrong, you shouldn't trust it"
No, wait, that was the most important rule in life.
I think the most important rule is "Nothing is set in stone. It's your game, change things if you want.
Don't talk about (orc) fight club.
My money is on Polymorph rule changes.
OR they could have just said that to see which rule they SHOULD preview, based on what you people said. In other words, they might be letting us decide. Then again, maybe not.
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Rule #1 Have fun. It's a game!
Please let it be this one. I was once in a game were I told a guy to lighten up because it was a game. He told me I should take the game more seriously, and I really couldn't understand why he was so mad about a litte fight against undead. Sure we were losing, but it was a grou a 3rd levels characters, not really a big deal.
The first "most important rule" that I learned was in one of the D&D starter sets, and it was: "If something isn't covered in the rules, make something up!"
Given how many people seem to have an unhealthy aversion to improvising or house-ruling in 3rd edition, I'd be interested in seeing some guidelines in the Pathfinder RPG for improvising. Not anything as uniform as the table in the 4th edition DM's Guide, but something along those lines would be cool to see.
Never create a series of items named "Foeskin."
In my house, since I am the DM, it is:
The DM and his wife don't have to pay for the pizza..... (especially his wife!)
-- david
Papa.DRB
Dungeonmaster drinks for free.
Dungeonmaster drinks for free.
I like this rule. Rule Zero has always been "Have Fun" to me. However, I would have to addend it to say "but not at the expense of another's fun."
Play whatever kind of character you want to play.
It doesn't have to be optimized and the group doesn't need a healer/rogue/wizard/tank to be effective. In fact, it's often more fun when you do have a big gaping hole like this that makes you improvise a little.
Oh and, "Never rub another man's rhubarb". I don't take this one too lightly either. I make sure I follow it to a tee.
Dungeonmaster drinks for free.or nobody gets XP.
;P
Hey! that rhymed! It must be true!
1. The DM has last word on rulings and may rule on the fly to expedite play.
1a. Bribing the DM is legal. He graciously accepts all the free pizza, drinks, and other perks for providing impromptu sessions and allowing rules variants he otherwise dislikes...
These are standard rules for us! Oh, and when all else fails, duck!
For our table, the most important rule: the DM's word is law, but it's okay to consult with me as to what the rule actually is first. Even if it gets a character blasted by black dragon breath . . . .
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I've got five big rules.
1. Have fun.
2. Respect the other players (and the DM).
3. What the DM says goes.
4. No rule is set in stone.
5. Feel free to ask me about custom stuff (want a fighter that can cast some spells? Ask away).
And before anyone flips out about number three. It's only to expedite play; if a player wants to do something and we don't have the rules on hand I'll make 'em up on the fly and we'll run with those rules 'till the end of the session (upon which time I'll look up the actual rules and run with them in future cases).
Further, I never (as a rule) use rule three to the detriment of my players and if an occasion comes up that could result in PC death and we don't know the rules, we pause the game and look up the rules.
The rule about stairs.
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The rule of cool - The DM must give a reasonable chance for any action that is deemed appropriately awesome.
Examples include:
"Can I tie myself to the dragon so that I can keep fighting it if it tries to get away?""I have ranks in Ride, can I ride the Bullette?"
"Can I jump off the airship onto the dragon's face and headbutt him?"
I think your post and Goblin Witchlord's desire for a clean Core Mechanic of some sort make for the smoothest, most fun games :)
The Rule of Cool!
Never heard that name before, but it is a winner!
I think the most important rule can best be summarized in a riddle:
How many adventurers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
** spoiler omitted **
All of them, they'll all want the exp.
-- wife's answer
nothing is impossible, provided you have the stats and skills to do so,
e.g. if you wish to run up a wall that will resolve with a drop kick to the enemy's head, have at least a dex of 18 with an acrobatics of 7 or more.
or
you wish to shoulder tackle a metal door in hopes of knocking it down, due to your lack of a key...have a strength of say 20 and be relatively heavy.
it's all in the creative use of your character's abilities
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nothing is impossible, provided you have the stats and skills to do so,
e.g. if you wish to run up a wall that will resolve with a drop kick to the enemy's head, have at least a dex of 18 with an acrobatics of 7 or more.
or
you wish to shoulder tackle a metal door in hopes of knocking it down, due to your lack of a key...have a strength of say 20 and be relatively heavy.
it's all in the creative use of your character's abilities
Creative use of skills is what keeps a 1st leveler alive in my campaigns.
Maybe you can do the task, maybe you can't, but trying is how characters develop their personalities.
The best thing to see is some simple skill used in a unique way
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Hey! Wassup, dude!!!Dungeonmaster drinks for free.or nobody gets XP.
;P
Still trying to keep at least a minimal presence on the board......I try to drop on for a couple minutes a day now. Still getting gang-banged by life.
Hopefully it all starts to settle down but I see troubles ahead yet to rear up.
stay gold, pony boy! stay gold!
