This is a site about tabletop game rules and other various lawyerings and is the official home of the Rules Lawyer Bar Association.
There is obviously (at least it should be obvious) no actual Rules Lawyer Bar Association (at least none you know about). That said, hi, I’m Derek, I’m President of the Rules Lawyer Bar Association, and this is my website where I discuss anything and everything related to tabletop game rules.
If you’re wondering why I’m qualified to be the President of the RLBA, I have a law degree from NYU, I’ve been teaching academic writing for 6 years, and have been a technical editor on Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth, Runewars miniatures game, Runebound Third Edition, and Android: Mainframe. I’ve had work published in the Michigan Journal of Law Reform and the Journal of Legal Metrics, and am one of the creators of the I Am The Law podcast.
But if you really want to know why I’m qualified to tell you what’s what with game rules: I’m not. I’m “President of the Rules Lawyer Bar Association” because I wanted to see just how long of a name I could create on the Fantasy Flight Games playtester forum. It fit.
Truth be told, you’re best off just discussing any questions with the other people at your table and reaching a consensus there — ideally before the session starts. All that really matters is that everyone’s on the same page, playing by the same rules, and with the same expectations. The worst situation is to interrupt a game with half an hour of debate where no matter what the outcome, someone’s just wasted a lot of time and planning based on an understanding of the rules that won’t be used.
If you’re aware of an ambiguity and don’t seek clarification before getting started, you’re an asshole. If you know your fellow gamers are unaware of a rule that you’re planning to exploit and you don’t clue them in beforehand, you’re an asshole. If the other four people at the table are all in agreement and you blow up game night rather than just carrying on with an unfavorable ruling, you’re an asshole.
That doesn’t mean we can’t still have some fun talking about the esoteric quirks of game rules though. In the X-Wing miniatures game, “Before” and “After” can refer to the same point in time and I find that not only hilarious but great head-canon fuel; only a Sith deals in absolutes.