Rulebooks are confusing things. They are often written by people who know what they are trying to accomplish but written for people who have no idea of the writers' goals. Understandably, it is impossible for the writers to foresee and account for every possible situation. With this in mind, please consider the following when reading through this rulebook, and when applying the rules on the field:
- Amtgard requires cooperation, honor, and fair play in order to ensure the most fun for all participants. Please read these rules thoroughly. The more familiar you are with the rules, the better equipped you will be to handle situations that are not explicitly covered.
- On your first few reads through this rulebook, or if you’re just looking to get a quick overview of the system, you’ll want to pay special attention to the “Made Easy” sections. They highlight the most important concepts in each section and are easily identifiable by the presence of our loveable rulebook mascot, Clippy the phoenix.
- If something is ambiguous, it is important to use common sense in adjudicating the proper ruling and course of action. Safety should always take precedence in any determination, followed by fairness, then playability, then thematic considerations. If a course of action goes against safety or fairness for the benefit of thematic elements, that course of action should not be taken.
- Abilities only do explicitly what they say they do, and do not have additional powers beyond what is explicitly stated within the rules.
- Read the rules in their entire context. Some rules may give one impression when read in a vacuum, but make sense when viewed within the larger context of the game.
- Don’t play in the gray areas of the rules. Gray areas and loopholes will not be considered or accepted by reeves.
- If a term is not defined in this rulebook, the commonly accepted definition of the term should be applied. If multiple definitions exist, the one that makes the most sense in terms of safety, then fairness, then playability should be applied.
When in doubt, play fair. In a free-form game like Amtgard there are bound to be interactions and situations that come up that were not imagined or considered by the authors. If those interactions are unclear or there is some combination of abilities that grant a significant advantage through an interaction that does not appear to be intended, then the players should adjudicate the situation in the most fair and equitable way possible, preferably avoiding the unintended interaction, until an official ruling can be made
Have fun with it! There are a plethora of options and possibilities in the Amtgard rules. Try something new or goofy. Creativity counts for a lot and teamwork is always overpowered.
