Rules are secretly Rulings

Or why crunchy rulebooks should focus more on how to make rulings

This is another philosophy inspired post. Continue at your own peril.

In the OSR community the saying 'Rulings over Rules' is quite popular. The idea is that rather than making rule systems that cover as many situations as possible, whoever is running the game should just make a ruling on how the current situation is best resolved. 

I have heard several arguments made against this idea:

Flame and fortune: an attempt at a jaquaysed 5 room dungeon (with a dragon and a floating volcano)

5 room dungeons are best explained here and here. 

Jaquaysing dungeons is explained here. 

 

For this dungeon you will need:

• A world with dragons
  
• A place to put a floating volcano
• A local ruler who lost an heirloom sword (feudalistic ruler is classic, but anything could work)

Another Magic-System: With or without Rhyme and Reason

A brief exercise in in-universe writing: An excerpt from the fictional textbook "Paths of Wisdom: an introduction to the magcial arts". 

 

 

If you just want an overview of the rules click here.  

Ethics and Morality in TTRPGs

I studied philosophy at university and am currently a philosophy teacher at a high school. So, obviously I think philosophy is rad. However, if teaching to a bunch of kids who didn't get to choose my course has taught me anything, it is that philosophy isn't for everyone. That said, practical philosophy is usually (wrongly) considered to be the most interesting and approachable kind. So even if you aren't into philosophy, maybe give this a read?

Anyway, let's overthink make-believe games from the perspective of moral and ethical philosophy (yes, there is a difference. Just stick around until the end if you're interested in it).