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Role playing tips: How to identify a rules lawyer

you're going too far. If the lawyering extends to others, who perhaps do not want or need defending, stop immediately and take a good hard look at your own motives in the situation. Ask yourself why you're trying to defend your fellow man. Are they really being wronged, or would you have objected if you were in that position? Chances are, if they don't object, neither should you.

5. Two against one
If you've found yourself correcting Game Master after Game Master, it's possible the problem is you. Think back, consider the past, and remember that the Game Master has the final say. If you've found that you just simply cannot get along with Game Masters, then run your own game. But, before you do, remember that Game Masters can be rules lawyers too, know the rules, know them well, and always try to be fair.

6. Excuses, excuses
If you're trying to make excuses for your character or your actions by calling out the rules, stop! No one likes the cheater, and the last thing you want to be is one of them, use the rules to benefit yourself, not as shield against imaginary wrongdoing. Remember, the less you call on the rules, the more likely the Game Master is going to be to listen to you when you do. Write your Game Master a note, rather than calling out in the midst of combat, and patiently await his reply. Your fellow gamers will thank you for it.

7. The Golden Rule
When all else fails, and you can't stop calling your Game Master out, book mark the first chapter of your book and every time you get the urge to be a pest, open the book. In the first chapter of ever basic rules book there is a section about the Golden Rule. It goes something like this, "Rules are not absolute, they are a guideline, and the Game Master has the final say." This rule is in place to combat rules lawyers, not to be taken advantage of by Game Masters and good GMs understand that. If you cannot accept that, don't play.

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Role playing tips: How to identify a rules lawyer

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