Oh, I think that it's not that bad. I mean I believe that all parties involved were just trying to achieve understanding, and that any heat that may have been generated was due to the simple fact of the imperfection of human communication. Everybody had proper intents going in, it seems to me.
>1. I defy anyone writing 280 pages of rules to do so without
>creating the slightest ambiguity,
Indeed. I think that it should suffice to say that the rules here aren't quite as clear as other parts of the text, and to try to make it clear. That is, the rules aren't broken, but it wouldn't hurt to ensure that there are some resources to make this all clear when the problems in interperetation arise. Which is what's happened, so everything is peachy.
>2. Don't like something? Change it.
Not to try to add to the argumentative side of things, but this is an invalid argument. Always has been, always will be. That is, most every RPG product says this. But the fact is we use the RPG texts we do, not because we can alter them, but because of the information that they do provide. Sure we can change them if we need to do so. But that doesn't mean that the product is any better. It's like having a line in a car manual that says, "If the car breaks down, you can get it fixed." While true, it doesn't make the car a better product.
All that said, I'd say that HQ is, in fact, better designed than most games. As such, it's less in need of the YGWV sort of caveat. But that just means that there's less of a need to employ this tactic in arguing. You can stand proud of the work in question, and realize that the impefections that do exist are minor enough that in being the exception to the rule, they highlight the quality of the product.
>3. Dave Camo has been doing a great job trying to field questions
>and generally act as a human FAQ,
Amen. The problem in communication is that his interperetation has been read as him saying that there's no ambiguity in the text. Which is not a clear reading because he's admitted several times that the text could be clearer. He's just trying to back up his interperetation with what textual support exists. And I compliment him on his efforts.
>Personally, what I love about this group is the creative use and
>exploration of the rules, from their use in other milieux to
>alternative ways of creating characters. Sometimes, though, it is
>important to remember that it is just about fun...
Hey, fun is important to us! We're willing to go to the mat to see that the system is doing what it should in play. So, again, please forgive the group their enthusiasm, which sometimes by Brownian motion sometimes produces more heat than light. It's a sign that we all really like the game more than anything else, and want it to be the peak experience that we believe Hero Quest is capable of producing.
This is an excellent group, and I'm humbled to be a participant.
Mike
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