Rules as Written or Rules as Intended. This is an argument we hear a lot. Do we follow what is written in the rules to the letter of the words on the page? or do we allow for what was intended by the rule?
I am going to make this simple for most people..... Play as you want. However when I get a game in with someone I am not as familiar with, or at a store I do not play at often; there is nothing worse than hearing "that is the way we play it around here" half way through the game. In this regard, I am going to say that when I hear this, and those rules were not clear before the game got going, there is not much point in continuing the game. Its just to abstract to play with two different sets of rules. Its frustrating.
If there are rules that are not RAW that you expect to be playing with, they must be discussed, and known before the first dice is dropped. Otherwise when I play a game its assumed everything is RAW. Doing otherwise is just not fair play, and at times taking advantage of what someone thinks the rules should be.
Now lets get down to RAW vs RAI. It is my solid opinion that there is no such thing as RAI. I believe that the rules are written the way they were meant to be. If something needs to be changed, eventually a faq will address it. Otherwise it is my belief that "rules as intended" are exactly as they are written. I mean really, otherwise who is so special to be arbitrarily deciding what the intentions of the rules are? So for me its RAW.
(this does not mean in friendly games that someone can play something another way, as long as we both agree before hand. I just love to play the game, and between two friends, who cares how we play the game)
