Re: Character Generation - Why bother with Guidelines?

From: Roderick Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 11:40:26 -0800

> Where'd that come from? Somebody saying that it's wrong to change the
> rules?
> Who? I know I'd be pretty hypocritical if I said that, being as I alter
> the
> rules explicitly all the time for my games. And, in fact, that's precisly
> what Jane's talking about doing here, too.

Well, there *are* people who ask "Is it okay to..." when the only reasonable answer is "heck yeah".

This whole blather about modifying the Chargen rules has (to me) been a long series of "But the rules say" and then justifying changes to them - it feels like a person who feels just a *leetle* guilty and needs to talk themselves into it.

As about the only vocal writer of these rules, I say "If you don't like the Chargen guidelines, change them." I hearby absolve any player or narrator from any guilt or shame felt about changing any rule in HeroQuest or Hero Wars (or anything else *I*'ve written).

You don't need to justify those changes, or talk anyone into them, just go ahead and *do* it. You don't need to complain about the written rules and how they constrain you, just go ahead and play them the way you want to.

One the other hand, if you *don't* want to change them, then don't. You don't have to defend your decision, just do what you feel is best.

RR
He was born with the gift of laughter and the sense that the world was mad R. Sabatini, Scaramouche