How closely should one use the rules as a DM? I'm reading

>>47521146
Oh shit, are you using Rules Cyclopedia? That's fucking awesome. Earlier D&D rules have often been "use it if you need it" so you're free to make up plenty of rules.

>>47521146
start off as beholden to the rules as possible, with only the most agregious offenders cut out, and then develop the version of DnD you wanna play with the group during play. Generally, only unanimous decisions should be pushed through.


Once you're more experienced though, it's all fair game

It varies.

"rulings not rules"

>>47521146
It's really simple. Do you have drama queens or autistic fucks at your table?

If you have queens, only the rule of cool matters. They just want to be masturbated and let to enjoy the afterglow. Numbers don't matter for that.

If you have autistic fucks, every rule matters. Each time you stray you break their tiny little minds and ruin their world.

I personally find it hilarious, but not many people are quite so jaded and tired of prissy fucks that expect everything given to them and then whine about the taste.

>>47521163
Absolutely this. Same rule applies to cooking.

>>47521146
Not much, really. If the entire table feels that a rule results in stupid things, you're better off without it. Same goes for combat - if you and your players start to get bored slogging through an encounter, end the battle in any way you feel fit instead of grimly playing it to the last mook and HP.

>>47521269
'rulings not rules' is a dumb excuse for a bad ruleset.
Good rulesets, or even half-decent rulesets, will have enough rules for general cases that you never need to make a 'ruling'.

Use them exactly to ensure all players are on an even field with each other and the challenges.

Rules are there to make it so no one is getting anything they shouldn't, nor not getting anything they should.

Most rpgs tell you in the first pages not to follow the rules too blindly.

The sessions should make sense, be enjoyable to the players AND the GM. If some rules prevent that, cut them out or modify them.

If a player wants to do soemthing that isn't in the rules, but is in the tone of the adventure your doing, you sould allow it an/or make up a rule on the fly using your rpg's engine as a basis. You can always tweak that rule later on if it gets used enough times.

>>47521146
>use the rules

The players usually know the rules, too, and will expect you to abide by them. If you aren't going to do that, your players deserve to know that going in - and also your reasons why.

That's it, really.