Loosey Goosey

Rules have never been a stickler for me. I like to bend, and sometimes break them to achieve maximum fun for my players. This can be very aggravating to a “rules lawyer” player, but over time, they will come around…mine did.

I am currently running a campaign in Shadowrun 5e. I don’t know all the rules, I will never know all the rules. I am making this roleplay heavy for that reason. When we get into combat, it just takes FOREVER in part because of the lack of familiarity with the mechanics. (I am not the only one to blame here, my players are fairly new to this too.) Over time we are learning more of the larger, more important rules, but it’ll take years to be fluent in them.

In the meantime, we “wing it.” What makes sense at the time to most of us is the direction we take. Sure, I make the final call (that is my job after all), but my players have a huge say in those decisions. If we talk about it later and come up with something better, we’ll adjust for next time. What’s great about a “rules lawyer” player is that they will help you maintain consistency, even if you are bending the mechanics.

Play by them, bend them, or break them completely, the rules are there as guidelines. Templates to help you make decisions. Don’t let yourself get so bogged down by following every single rule that the game loses its fun. Remember, if you're not having fun, why are we playing?

​