[TML] NEW SFRPG - Thousand Suns

[Richard Aiken]

On Feb 18, 2008 7:04 PM, Michael Taylor <michaeltaylor1329 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Of course he does! No one in Serenity actively TRIES to be stupid! There's no rule in the game that says you MUST be stupid.
> It's EXACTLY in the spirit of the game to figure out loopholes! It's what the whole series is about!

You are missing my point.  In-game, the characters are certainly
attempted to find and ruthlessly exploit all the loopholes they can.
But out-of-game, the players should be willing to abide by the spirit
of that game . . . wherein they are playing characters who are
low-life criminals and various hangers-on, who are all attempting to
find and ruthlessly exploit all the loopholes they can.

Loopholes in the RULES - game mechanics which when used in a certain
way insulate the characters from the "reality" of the game world - are
not the same as loopholes in the GAME WORLD.

You do understand the distinction I'm making here?  Right?

> There's no argument that there is a rule in the game that is NOT in the spirit of the game.

There may not be a RULE, but there can certainly be an INTERPRETATION
of a rule that allows an unintended loophole.

> There's no argument that makes this make sense (except the "it's impossible for games not to have loopholes" argument which I am perfectly willing to dismiss as absurd and illogical).

>From Wikipedia:

"A loophole is a weakness or exception that allows a system, such as a
law or security, to be circumvented or otherwise avoided."

And especially:

"A loophole in a law often contravenes the *intent* of the law without
technically breaking it."

(Emphasis in original document)

Now, I expect you'll argue that in this case "intent" is not the same
as "spirit."  But I'll just come back that this is mere semantics.  So
let's just leave that as already done, shall we?

So, if you admit that loophole can exist and loophole by definition
violate the spirit of the rules, this means that the rules (or at
least a particularly narrow and slanted reading of them) can violate
the spirit.

Right?

-- 
Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident."  Robert A. Heinlein