(Message davew:1436)
Subj: Re: [L5RINFO] A Rules Manifesto
From: David Williams <l5r@TSTONRAMP.COM>

  To: L5RINFO@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM
Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2000 20:14:23 PDT
-- /blue/homes/cowell/Mail/mhl.format --

>  > Here is my issue with what you're saying, Vaughn - I don't think that
>  > a rulebook with readable type can cover every instance of every card
>  > (or even worse combination of cards) and it's possible effect on the
>  > rulebook. At least not with a game like L5R which I think everyone
>  > here would agree is the most intricate game on the market at this
>  > point.
>
>I don't think it needs to - the rulebook does however need to be
>re-written in such a way that the accumulated rulings is largely
>incorporated.

I disagree. Card rulings shouldn't be in the rulebook - that expands
the rulebook with EVERY card. To keep the rulebook as the
*foundation* of the game, it can't change with the cards - rulings on
cards need to be in their own place.

>Rulings on particular cards and their funky combos will always have
>to exist. That's part of the trouble with having a
>2000+ card pool. :>

That's my point exactly.

>But we need to start getting the rule book to be better wrt the way
>the rules should be interpreted.

I don't disagree that the rulebook could be a better tool for
allowing card interpretations to be made.

>  > The rulebook needs to be able to teach someone the game... but look
>  > at it! It's SO complex and convoluted as a result of needing to deal
>  > with all of the bizzare situations that can and do occur in L5R that
>  > it reads like a NASA technical manual, nowdays.
>
>You now have 2 rulebooks (in effect) A beginers rulebook and a basic
>rulebook. The beginers rulebook is contained in the "intro" set
>(Storms over Matsu Palace) and should be (and I beleive will be)
>designed to teach people to play the game. It should be a detailed
>version of the quick start rules.

Yes.

>Then you have the basic rule book. My first suggestion would be get
>rid of the quick start rules - replace it with more "example of
>play" sections - ie for each step in play include an example of play
>(and get a graphic designer in to jazz up the layout with more
>than just pictures :>). Lets face it the current quick start rules
>take up 5-6 pages of the rule book and acheive very little wrt
>teaching people how to play. As to play through a game you need to
>look up the detailed sections to understand fully what's going on
>(at least that was my experience as I had to teach myself).

The quick start rules are going the way of the dodo. As for the
examples, they're a good idea, but I'd rather have readable text, and
links in the rulebook to the website where we could have any NUMBER
of examples...

>  > So I guess the real question is what purpose, if any, is the rulebook
>  > fulfilling at this point? I don't think it's possible for the
>  > rulebook to deal with all of the issues that a tourney-level player
>  > will run into - that's what the faq is for, IMO. We have the intro
>  > sets to teach the game and we have an FAQ to support the tournament
>  > level player - so is the rulebook the "transition document" to
>  > support casual players until they need the level of detail that the
>  > FAQ can offer? I'm not sure, to be honest.
>
>The rulebook needs to always be what it sets out to be THE RULEBOOK
>- the accumulated rulings and FAQ should never be necassary to
>play the game at a competitve level. Unfortunatley this will never
>be a reality. So the rulebook needs to handle the rules in a
>meaningful wayso that the FAQ and Accumulated Rulings are minimised.

You're wrong.

Sorry to be blunt about this, but you are, IMO, completely
misunderstanding the purpose of those documents. Competatively, you
*have* to have the FAQ and accumulated rulings (they're really two
parts of the same document to me). Those two things are precisely for
high-level tournament play. They have no other purpose in life.
Casual players can simply flip a coin if they can't decide between
them how a card or cards will work and continue with their game. Only
in a tournament do you need to know *EXACTLY* how a card works.

>IT needs to be heavily reviewed and re-written in such a way as the
>current accumululated rulings (on the rules rather than specific
>cards) is incorporated into the rulebook as much as possible. (Ie
>were a short paragraph will place several current rulings into the
>rule book it should be incorporated.)

This only shows how far you are underestimating the situation. What
you are suggesting has been done on a significant level 3 times, and
continues each set in small ways. The FAQ and accumulated rulings are
not "optional" and the only way to put them into a rulebook is to
print a 200 page rulebook. It wouldn't help though, since you'd have
an FAQ and an accumulated rulings the instant a new set of cards
released.


----------------------------------------
David Williams
l5r@tstonramp.com
Lead Designer - Legend of the Five Rings CCG, Deadlands CCG
Alderac Entertainment Group

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