Rules lawyer
Template:Short description Template:Redirect A rules lawyer is a term used to describe a participant in a rules-based environment who attempts to use the letter of the law without reference to the spirit, usually in order to gain an advantage within that environment.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The term is commonly used in wargaming and tabletop role-playing game communities,<ref name="Beattie">Template:Cite journal</ref> often pejoratively, as the "rules lawyer" is seen as an impediment to moving the game forward.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The habit of players to argue in a legal fashion over rule implementation was noted early on in the history of Dungeons & Dragons.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rules lawyers are one of the "player styles" covered in Dungeon Master for Dummies.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The rules of the game Munchkin include various parodies of rules lawyer behavior.
Related terms
- In the US military, "sea lawyer" is used in the navy<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and "barracks lawyer" in the army.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- The term "language lawyer" is used to describe those who are excessively familiar with the details of programming language syntax and semantics.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- On English Wikipedia, a "wikilawyer" is a contributor who attempts to use the wording of policies to win disputes rather than reaching the goal of the policy.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
See also
References
External links
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }} — Loke advocates Games Masters using rules lawyers to their advantage, by turning the other players against them.
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }} — a description of two “rules-lawyer traps": always insisting upon following the rules and believing that there should always be a rule to cover every situation
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }} — which lists the rules lawyer's two weapons as “an onslaught of evidence, textual readings, precedent, and reasoning” and the “dreaded filibuster”.