Let's talk "Rule Clarifications"

[Glorelendil]

For the purposes of this summer's 2nd edition hardcover, maybe it would be useful for C7 if we listed some of the areas where we got confused trying to understand TOR for the first time.

Suggestion: let's not clutter the topic with debates about the rules; just add (or second) the ones that confuse you, and/or suggest ways to make it clearer.

My big one is travel: it took me many reads to grok the travel sequence. What I would like to see is a numbered list, or even a flow chart, that lays out all the steps, instead of having to extract the big picture from page after page of prose.

Then the next one is encounters: I think encounters could use the same treatment as travel.

Finally, "recovery" (of Fatigue, Endurance, Hope, and Shadow): those are also scattered around; would love to see a consolidation, even if it's in some kind of sidebar, of all the options/rules for each of these four.

[DavetheLost]

I will definitely second Travel. Especially with the revised Travel rules and the ones in the Core Books being different.

[Sprigg]

Travel and recovery. Those two sets of rules alone sapped twenty minutes of our last session as we tried to figure those out. I'm still not clear on the difference between a fatigue and travel check.

[daddystabz]

The Defend Ally maneuver from the Defensive Stance. When do you have to declare exactly? (The book makes it sound like at the beginning of the Company's turn) and do you get the Hope pt back if the original target was your Fellowship Focus.

[Yusei]

I hope they clarify the use of Standing and what having a patron could do. Standing seemed useless at first, but now has been used a bit in TfW and a bit more in DoM, so I hope they explain it clearly in the rulesbook. I think Rich or someone else wrote unofficial stuff about patrons, maybe they could use that, but as of now, my players don't care about patrons. They know that if Radagast wants them to do something, he'll ask even if he's not a patron.

Of course, they'll probably include Francesco's clarification on when to give APs.

Finally, while those are not "clarifications", I hope they'll do something about the concerns some of us have with high level play, either by explaining at what rate we should award XP/APs or by introducing new ways to spend XPs, as I suggested in another thread.

[Woodclaw]

The Defend Ally maneuver from the Defensive Stance. When do you have to declare exactly? (The book makes it sound like at the beginning of the Company's turn) and do you get the Hope pt back if the original target was your Fellowship Focus.

I think that most of the Combat Tasks need a bit of clarification, especially we need to understand if they allows a charater to attack or not and the guidelines if the players what to try something not covered by the rules.

[SirKicley]

Engagements.

Breaking from an engagement during combat

Travel vs Fatigue tests etc. The hardest thing it took our group to find when we played first was how to resolve these. Because Fatigue tests are explained in LM book, and Travel skill is explained in Adventurer's Book, without really being very good about explaining the relationship between the too. Took us forever to figure that one out.

More on Fatigue tests...(Travel checks)....just the overall use of them - how often, when, why, and at what point.



Everything else that I thought of has already been mentioned.

[Glorelendil]

relationship between the too. Took us forever to figure that one out.

More on Fatigue tests...(Travel checks)....just the overall use of them - how often, when, why, and at what point.

As an LM I'd also like some more crutches for handling hazards. "Be creative" leaves LM's either preparing content that won't even get seen if the players roll well, or getting caught making up something on the spur of the moment.

[Glorelendil]

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1105&p=10198#p10198

Adversary special abilities: when/how often to use them? Do they replace the attack, or augment it?

In other words: Monster Logic!

Idea/Suggestion: for each adversary, provide a few guidelines to help the LM know how to use these tools.

[Evening]

I will definitely second Travel. Especially with the revised Travel rules and the ones in the Core Books being different.

Just use the ones in the core.

If you never played before, go with the RAW.

Actually, I currently advocate the use of the original rules over my own revision in any case - I rediscovered why I designed them that way!

In any event if C7 is going to publish a Summer book, it is most likely already at the printers so this thread is moot.