Rules lawyer
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "redirect hatnote". 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.[1] The term is commonly used in wargaming and tabletop role-playing game communities,[2] often pejoratively, as the "rules lawyer" is seen as an impediment to moving the game forward.[3] The habit of players to argue in a legal fashion over rule implementation was noted early on in the history of Dungeons & Dragons.[4][5] Rules lawyers are one of the "player styles" covered in Dungeon Master for Dummies.[6] 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[7] and "barracks lawyer" in the army.[8]
- The term "language lawyer" is used to describe those who are excessively familiar with the details of programming language syntax and semantics.[9]
- 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.[10]
See also
References
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External links
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". — Loke advocates Games Masters using rules lawyers to their advantage, by turning the other players against them.
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". — 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
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". — which lists the rules lawyer's two weapons as “an onslaught of evidence, textual readings, precedent, and reasoning” and the “dreaded filibuster”.