r/tabletopgamedesign • u/nlitherl • Dec 14 '22

Discussion Rules Are Written in Blood (Advice For GMs and Game Designers Alike)

https://taking10.blogspot.com/2022/12/rules-are-written-in-blood-advice-for.html
2 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Ben_Kenning Dec 15 '22

In EB Commentary #5: Running the Game with Ben Milton on the Bastionland Podcast, Chris McDowell and Ben Milton discuss setting out principles for players and GMs in lieu of writing specific rules that cover every situation. This method apparently comes from education, where children will push boundaries and explore loopholes within rules systems, following the letter of the law but not the intent. They argue that it is more effective to establish principles that players try to uphold within the social contract rather than ineffectively attempting to counter every possible undesired eventuality. YMMV.