| From: | Terry Amburgey <xanth@****.UKY.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | of books and rules and oceans wide... |
| Date: | Wed, 25 Oct 1995 17:11:39 -0400 |
[snip]
>Great, but how are _we_ over here in Germany supposed to get these enlightening
>insights? We just can't get to GenCon, there is no report that lists these
>questions&Answers...
>And I Even don't know how muh time TD has to answer these questions. If he
>answers directly, there might be errors, not everything may be thought over...
>if he has time to look it up, then I'd take it as right.
Good point. I've often thought that it would be a good idea to collect the
various 'clarifications' and put them in the FAQ. As long as I don't have to
do it :) You might want to consider giving list members the 'benefit of the
doubt' so to speak. Some members have been on the list quite a while. The
topic of grounding, and others as well, HAVE come up before. If a 'list
geezer' like J.D. says 'that came up before and the DLOH said x' assume that
he's telling the truth.
Whether or not you take one of the game designers as a credible source for
clarifications of rules is up to you; I've already said what I think about it.
>> You were the one who brought the novels into
>> the discussion by saying that Tom Dowd did something in one of his books that
>> wasnt allowed, so he shouldnt be refered to as an expert on ShadowRun. The
>> point is he freely admits that occasionaly some things are done in the novels
>> that arent allowed in the rules, so the novels shouldnt be used as a
>> sourcebook, or as evidence of the author's ignorance of the rules.
>How is one supposed to know that?
If nothing else, the novels are CATALOGUED differently by FASA, they're
fiction not source books. They don't necessarily have the same distribution
system; I buy my FASA novels at a bookstore not a gaming supply/hobby store.
How are you supposed to know that novels aren't rulebooks? Why would you
think they WERE rulebooks? They don't have tables, they don't have 'goody'
lists or descriptions of equipment.
Someone [Georg I think] said that fiction set in a 'gaming universe' should
be consistent with the game. I agree, but I don't think the consistency
should be SLAVISH. Eve Forward convinced me that a GM not only CAN bend the
rules or fudge dice rolls in pursuit of an interesting game but a gm SHOULD.
The author of a piece of fiction should have even more latitude.
Regardless of your prior state of knowledge, you now know that FASA has a
policy of giving its authors some flexibility with regard to compliance to
the rules of the game. If that bothers you don't buy their novels; if you
can still enjoy the fiction buy them. If you want to use the novels as
precedence for house rules that's ok; if you don't that's ok as well. If you
want to use fiction to argue a point on the list you can; others can also
say 'that's fiction not a sourcebook rule' and reject what you have to say.
If you want to ignore what the ex-DLOH had to say about grounding just point
out that it's not yet printed in any FASA sourcebook and ignore it. Terry
Terry L. Amburgey Office: 606-257-7726
Associate Professor Home: 606-224-0636
College of Business & Economics Fax: 606-257-3577
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506
