A meta-question about Questions&Answers

[ecz]

Probably it's just my fault and I have missed something important but more often than not I feel that genuine, smart, sincere, and intelligent questions about "game mechanics and rules" are not answered by anyone having a role here about the re-birth and the new development of TFT 2

I'm not speaking about the game philosophy or about clear rules that someone dislikes the way they are. These are not Q&A in the sense I mean and I can undestand if they stay officially unanswered. For these a candid discussion here on the forum among players is ok although the opinion of the makers could be nice to hear.

I'm speaking about rules that are not "fully clear" and where a word from the designer, or the publisher, or anyone that is in charge, could easily explain once for ever or at least until the next official change casting a few more words here in the forum.

IF in the manual the rules brevity is golden, here in the forum a full exposition cannot harm and it's free.

Lacking this figure for our favorite RPG, any question about rules is only answered by other willing players (thanks), according their personal understanding. And sometime - when it appears that a rule is not exactly perfect - according their personal opinion.

The net result is that when someone asks something about a rule really obscure, or open to several interpretations, he is overwhelmed by tons of different answers by other forumites and the thread soon becomes a debate while the original post remains officially unanswered.

Nowadays all boardgames, all wargames, all RPGs, all designs live on the net, all the best company/designers out there try to support in any way their customers in real time, and one of the easiest and cheapiest way is to "officially answer" the questions about rules on their forum (if any) and/or on BGG and/or CSW if they do not have a own place.

So, in a few words:

- is there someone put in charge to officially answer the question about rules?
- if not today, is this a figure that we'll see in a future?
- if not today and not tomorrow, why not?

If the above meta- question has been answered before, I'm sorry. Please consider that it's hard read everything when a forum is so rich and big.

[Oneiros]

Yeah, another RPG game forum I often visit has a dedicated "Official Answers on Core Rules" sub forum (as well as one for questions on setting based on their core rules.) There one designer answers all questions and his answers are gospel.

Of course, that's a smaller company than SJG. And I imagine the same is true for the other companies you allude to. Or, if not smaller, at least more focused on the particular product that they're answering questions on.

I don't know if Steve himself would have time to dedicate to such a forum for TFT. (Not to mention GURPS, which would be a huge effort in itself, as well as the myriad other products SJG produces.) Not sure if there's another "resident expert" on TFT at SJG who could handle the role, at least not yet.

Not saying I wouldn't like such a forum, but that I wouldn't be surprise if it wasn't practical to do.

[Skarg]

The GURPS line editor Kromm does that for GURPS, though there's no one thread for them AFAIK.

[JLV]

Seems to me that this would be Guy McLimore's role as the line editor. Perhaps in consultation with Steve, but generally his responsibility. Not sure why such an authoritative thread has not been created as yet.

[Skarg]

Maybe because the new rules haven't even been sent to the printer yet?

[tomc]

Originally Posted by Skarg

Maybe because the new rules haven't even been sent to the printer yet?

I expect once the rules are solidified there will be more answers.