Mentioned in Dispatches Season 10 Ep 6 ~ Wargaming Rules Formats

17 March 2023

OK look, we all have rulebooks we love, and ones we hate.  Formats we love, and formats we hate.  Podcast guests we love, and…  well, you get the idea32.  So let’s talk about rules, and the rules that govern rules-writing.

Don’t forget, you can always catch up with past episodes on the “podcast” tab of our site.

Case system?  Conversational style? Learn-to-play vs quick reference? “Did you read what I wrote?” Programmed learning to slowly roll out the rules, or just throw players in the deep end?

We tackle all of these topics, as well as why you don’t want to be the person who gets a rule named after them, why you should always have blind playtesters33, and the breast & worst typos you can make.

Soon, I think, the @ADragoons will drop a podcast where I rant about the need for the better editing of rules. Perhaps I undervalue the present. Working my way through "Charlie Company" (2e), somebody's getting a belated kick in the painfuls. pic.twitter.com/nWyH1LWtVV

— Jim Owczarski (@TheGascon) March 13, 2023

Just for kicks, we did ask Chat GPT for the definition of a “rules lawyer” and this is what we got

A "rules lawyer" is a term used to describe someone who focuses more on the technicalities and specifics of the rules of a game, system, or situation than on the actual intended outcome or spirit of those rules. This term is often used to describe individuals who use their knowledge of rules to gain an advantage over others or to argue their case in a situation where the rules are unclear or contested. While knowing and following the rules is important, being a "rules lawyer" can be seen as negative because it often involves using technicalities to manipulate the system or win at all costs, rather than playing in the spirit of the game or situation.

Please trot on over to the iTunes page for our podcast and give us a rating – whatever you think is fair! We’re still a few reviews short of iTunes recommending us in their podcast engine, and every rating helps.  Thanks!

Thank you for joining us for  Mentioned in Dispatches and checking out the official podcast of The Regiment of Strategy Gaming. You can find our regiment’s social media on Mastodon, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.  (We have an Instagram page and we never use it.) You can support The Armchair Dragoons through our Patreon, also, and find us at a variety of conventions and other events. Feel free to talk back to us either in our discussion forum, or in the comments below.