What do you think?
Should Lycanthropes exist on Krynn?
Originally posted by Herr Doktor
I haven't seen anything about this...
What do you think?
Should Lycanthropes exist on Krynn?
In the monster section of the Dragonlance Campaign book, it states that lycanthropes (along with drow, driders, orcs, half-orcs, halflings, mind flayers, and titans) are not found in the Dragonlance campaign setting. So that's the official take.
I was just going to have some random nasty peasant who treated his wife badly be cursed with having to turn into a mindless killing beast when the black moon was full. It wouldn't be transferable like lycanthropy, but be fun to play with. But first they've got to solve this damned plague...
Hmm... plague of werewolves...
Before fifth age however I would go with the red moon affecting lycan's as Lunitari is completely neutral in this regard.
If you don't like this you could always say there is a fourth moon completely unseen to all mortal eyes that was the home of Chaos and lycans are affected by this moon. By nobody seeing the moon they have no idea when lycans will be unleashed on the world uncontrolled and this helps spread chaos. Lot of good it does for the god of chaos but oh well.
they mention werewolves...uncle trapspringers lost finger i believe..of course..it talks about half orcs also..though i think what was ment was half ogre..
Originally posted by bdg4life
in kendermore, the preludes book..they mention werewolves.
Well...we have stories of werewolves on earth, also...but they don't exist.
Since it was just stories about werewolves...it can be taken as a Krynnish version of an "urban legend." heh heh
Plus, like you say...Kendermore isn't exactly the most accurate when it comes what is, and what isn't supposed to be on Krynn. ;)
This is the problem with rumors about the existence of things. If there are only say 1 out of a million people who are werewolves, and they maintain their annonymity then how can someone say they don't exist?
It is kind of like dragons before the war of the lance. Nobody had seen a dragon in what over a hundred years? So nobody thought they were real, that they were just a myth? SO why not Lycans (sorry, just happened to like Underworld a little too much).
Originally posted by darthsylver
Are you sure werewolves don't exist brimstone? Where's the proof?
Pg. 212 of the DLCS, the first paragraph after Lord Soth's song.
Originally posted by darthsylver
Are you sure werewolves don't exist brimstone? Where's the proof?
Hey, I agree...Underworld was a good movie...
But, I don't really buy into all that mysticism and mumbo jumbo stuff. Mostly because all these myths about werewolves and vampires and magic and the like were born in times when people were scared and ignorant to the true nature of things, and their answer to everything was magic and evil (usually). A lot of myths have most likely been cracked (in my opinion). Lycanthropy and vampirism are suspected to have been two diseases in the olden days that the people of the time didn't understand...nor understand how to treat it.
But...I guess that's not "proof"...but it's good enough for me. ;)
Brim - I think that myths are like rumors. They get even more outrageous with each retelling. But they all start with some small, even almost insignificant, shred of truth.
Originally posted by darthsylver
It is sorta like Gnolls. We almost never hear about Gnolls in DL. I don't even think they are in any modules. But there is one in the "Silver Stair".
There's a whole "tribe" of them in Lord Toede.
I was going to point out the Lord Toede gnolls, but *someone* got there first...
Originally posted by pddisc
I was going to point out the Lord Toede gnolls, but *someone* got there first...
Whoever do you mean....?
Sorry...didn't mean to steal your thunder. ;)
Sorry...didn't mean to steal your thunder.
A curse on kender and all their kind!
Originally posted by darthsylver
Daedavis - I was referring to the real world not DL.
Noticed that after I posted
How many renegades are mentioned in books?
My point is - simply because we don't hear about, or rarely hear about something does not mean that it does not exist.
Originally posted by darthsylver
My point is - simply because we don't hear about, or rarely hear about something does not mean that it does not exist.
The disease of lycanthropy, and the creatures who suffer from it, are not part of Dragonlance canon and do not appear in the setting. Shapeshifters who take on animal forms are not unheard of, but the curse of lycanthropy will only appear in a Dragonlance campaign if you put it in your home game.
Cheers,
Cam
Originally posted by Cam Banks
The disease of lycanthropy, and the creatures who suffer from it, are not part of Dragonlance canon and do not appear in the setting. Shapeshifters who take on animal forms are not unheard of, but the curse of lycanthropy will only appear in a Dragonlance campaign if you put it in your home game.
Cheers,
Cam
This is not true. As I stated in another Thread many things that don’t belong in Krynn have appeared in OFFICIAL Dragonlance products. If the author’s turn around later and say that’s not canon then they are robbing us of our money with a shabby poorly thought of product.
Originally posted by Baron the Curse
This is not true. As I stated in another Thread many things that don’t belong in Krynn have appeared in OFFICIAL Dragonlance products. If the author’s turn around later and say that’s not canon then they are robbing us of our money with a shabby poorly thought of product.
It is true.
Although there's always the possibility of discrepancy and retroactive changes, as the setting grows and develops, there are certain truths about the setting which continue to be affirmed and re-established by products that set out to maintain Krynn's baseline canon.No lycanthropes.
Cheers,
Cam
Originally posted by Baron the Curse
This is not true. As I stated in another Thread many things that don’t belong in Krynn have appeared in OFFICIAL Dragonlance products. If the author’s turn around later and say that’s not canon then they are robbing us of our money with a shabby poorly thought of product.
Huh? So let's see... we've had drow, orcs, mind flayers, and lycanthropes in OFFICAL products. So oops they are official now. So lets just stike out that line in the DLCS.
I have to disagree. I don't feel slighted from these wrong additions because this knowledge of what should and should not be in DL was in effect before the authors even wrote these things. The fact that they slipped up and added them by mistake should not "change" the fundemental rules of the setting. If you want to say it was an entirely shabby poorly thought out product, then that's your opinion.
But I prefer to just ignore the problems and focus on the content that is useful to me. But that's just the way I look at things I guess.The Fifth Age team did a great job in keeping their product consistent. The fact that a lot of what they did has been change by the DLCS annoys me. I completely agree that orcs and magically-disease shapeshifters don’t belong in Krynn. But if in the near future one makes an appearance in an adventure module than that’s Weis, or whoever, once again disregarding the quality of the product their selling.
Cam, I see your point I just hope they learn from their past mistakes.
Originally posted by darthsylver
Where is the first mention that certain creatures are improper for DL as compared to the first actual mention of one of these improper creatures.
Tales of the Lance states that lycanthropes, orcs, half-orcs, and halfling don't exist on Krynn. The Unsung Heroes expand this by saying that there are no native psionics either. And any who stay to long from other words loose their powers.
Originally posted by Baron the Curse
Kipper, I don’t like following that philosophy. I can’t turn a blind eye over and over if the problem keeps emerging. It is the duty of those in charge of DL to ensure the integrity of their products. I don’t want to have to surgically go through my latest DL book looking for canon. All of it should be canon. If you keep putting out contradictory products we are being ripped-off. If the DL Core Book says Lycanthropes and drows don’t exist, and then you buy a Dragonlance adventure with these creatures you might think, well they change their mind. But then the authors come along and say no we didn’t, that book is not canon, but once AGAIN, thanks for your money!
I totally agree that there is a responsibility to make everything "as canon as possible" and I'm not going to debate the inconsitancies that have cropped up over the past 20 years with hundreds of contributors. It will happen with that many contributors as the setting "grows and develops" as Cam put it. heh
It also sounds like you think I'm trying to defend the inconsitances. Well I'm not.
I was no happier to have a half orc in Kendermore or find out that drow had invaded Krynn. But what has been done is done. And I was just saying that instead of include every "problem child" ever created I weed out the things that don't fit for me. So please don't think I'm saying "Hey just write whatever you want to about DragonLance and I'll buy it and edit it myself." That was not my intent. heh 
The Fifth Age team did a great job in keeping their product consistent. The fact that a lot of what they did has been change by the DLCS annoys me. I completely agree that orcs and magically-disease shapeshifters don’t belong in Krynn. But if in the near future one makes an appearance in an adventure module than that’s Weis, or whoever, once again disregarding the quality of the product their selling.
Cam, I see your point I just hope they learn from their past mistakes.
I agree. Let's see what the future holds.
Originally posted by darthsylver
So why did'nt DLA state this. If in the original campaign book there are no restrictions why should it be restricted later.
Not sure...but it has been Tracy's plan since from the beginning to not include certain D&D aspects in Krynn. Orcs and Lycanthropes were the main ones. (he has said as much in the DL-L before).
Is it perhaps mentioned in DL5: Dragons of Mystery?
bdg4life - are you saying that the word "drow" means dark elf in the elvin language on krynn.
I ask because I have seen the description "dark elf " used and the word "drow" used in reference to a character.
I guess my real question is this. Why would the creators want to restrict a certain creature(s) from being used on krynn when they could be so cool if used properly.
The same reason Dark Sun has no orcs, kobolds, goblins, hobgoblins, trolls, etc, etc. - Flavor. Why does every D&D world have to be populated with the same creatures? Sure you can make them socially different and such, but that's not quite as good as absolutely eliminating them, and possibly replacing them with new and different species (like, say, Draconians
)It's not a 'Ooh, orcs suck, down with orcs' mentality. It's just a 'Hey, these guys get pretty overused, and who's to say they're everywhere? Let's cut 'em out...' Sure, they could make them neat and interesting, but the world is just as neat and interesting without them - moreso, I think. In fact, I've always preferred that in Dragonlance many of the monster races just don't seem to appear often. I like that gnolls a something of a rarity, beholders are extremely rare, you don't see many vampires, etc, etc, etc. I think it brings more focus on the important of the world's major races, and new depth to conflicts involving them, instead of just (okay, we've fought plenty of goblins, let's move on to trolls!)
But that may just be my take on things.
Originally posted by The Udjat
In fact, I've always preferred that in Dragonlance many of the monster races just don't seem to appear often. I like that gnolls a something of a rarity, beholders are extremely rare, you don't see many vampires, etc, etc, etc.
And then, as the player, it's extremely refreshing when you realize that the bad guy you are chasing happens to be one of those extremely rare vampires...and you just lost sight of him...wait...what was that noice behind us?
The biggest problem with not including monsters if the fact that Dragonlance relied on a monster generator whose traits were provided by random chance. The graygem.
In Dark Sun, in contrast, deliberately designed its monsters to a single ecology, the desert. So thus you have creatures adapted to survive in such a harsh climate. As well, there is not very much magic in Dark Sun, because magic requires you to harness it from living beings. Instead you have psionics filling the role of magic. That's why you don't see many traditional monsters, because they are psionic desert survivors.
In Dragonlance there is really no reason to exclude any monster. Subterranian drow? Graygem passed by. Orcs? Graygem passed by. Lyncanthropes? That's a little tricker because of the three moons, but it can easily be resolved with good lyncanthopes affected by the phases of Solinari (werebears), neutrals by Lunitari (weretigers, wereboars) and evil by Nuitari (wererats, werewolves).
But still, that greygem can pass by.
I don't buy the whole argument that it is "flavour text" that certain monsters don't exist. It isn't anything but an arbitrary decision.
It would be flavour text if there was an explanation of why the greygem couldn't make drow elves, orcs and lyncanthropes.
Originally posted by ferratus
I don't buy the whole argument that it is "flavour text" that certain monsters don't exist. It isn't anything but an arbitrary decision.
Welcome to the reality of the creative process.
Cheers,
Cam
but Trolls, Gnolls, Goblins, Kobolds, etc died off because of an arbitrary decision, just like orcs and drow don't exist in DL because of an arbitrary decision. The arbitrary decision in Dark Sun was that various champions went out an annihilated the races do the last person (but just happened to fail finishing the job with the pc races). In DL the arbitrary decision, imo much more believable, is that they were simply never created.
Arbitrary decisions. Like Cam sorta hinted at there, arbitrary decisions are what make up the creative process. I go out an design a world, for instance, and I think to myself "I want elves, when they die, to become trees." Bam. Arbitrary decision. Now I justify it with some flavor text after the fact. "We'll say this is 'cause of their deep connection to the world, that when they die they still give to the world." Or something. It doesn't really matter. The point is, I decided they become trees.
I stated this elsewhere, but you shouldn't have to come up with reasons why something chaotic doesn't or does do something. That, in itself, should be reason enough. Not everything needs to be justified with a jury's unanimous decree.
Originally posted by The Udjat
but Trolls, Gnolls, Goblins, Kobolds, etc died off because of an arbitrary decision, just like orcs and drow don't exist in DL because of an arbitrary decision. The arbitrary decision in Dark Sun was that various champions went out an annihilated the races do the last person (but just happened to fail finishing the job with the pc races).
So then that was part of the whole "awesome power of the ancient sorcerers and modern dragons" backstory. If I'm not mistaken, Rajat veiwed himself as sort of a messiah, and was trying to make a paradise. Destroying all the monsters was part of that.
In DL the arbitrary decision, imo much more believable, is that they were simply never created.
Yeah, so what's the problem with spelljamming drow elves crashing on Krynn then? Why should we now not accept that module as canon? How in bloody hell does it hurt the flavour text of the setting? Same with the half-orc of kendermore. Why does anyone care about him? How does he hurt the flavour text of the setting? The simple fact is that neither creature will make a single iota of difference on how the setting feels and is played through. The lack of inclusion of certain monsters, without a good solid in-world reason behind it, does not contribute to the flavour text of the world in any way. IT DOES NOT MAKE DRAGONLANCE UNIQUE.
Originally posted by ferratus
IT DOES NOT MAKE DRAGONLANCE UNIQUE.
Sure it does. There aren't any orcs, drow elves, mind flayers, or lycanthropes in the setting. Whether there's an explanation or not, this influences the specific choices available to adventures and campaigns, sets the setting apart from worlds which do have those elements, and bingo - qualities which make the campaign world unique without lifting a finger.
Cheers,
Cam
Originally posted by ferratus
Yeah, so what's the problem with spelljamming drow elves crashing on Krynn then? Why should we now not accept that module as canon? How in bloody hell does it hurt the flavour text of the setting? Same with the half-orc of kendermore. Why does anyone care about him? How does he hurt the flavour text of the setting? The simple fact is that neither creature will make a single iota of difference on how the setting feels and is played through.
That's true. There will always be the odd occurance, the spelljamming mind flayers and drow, plane-hopping half-orcs, the tarrasque in the basment of Lord Soth's Keep. Does it kill the setting? No. But I don't have to particularly like it, so I choose to ignore it in my game.
That is just my opinion though.The lack of inclusion of certain monsters, without a good solid in-world reason behind it, does not contribute to the flavour text of the world in any way. IT DOES NOT MAKE DRAGONLANCE UNIQUE.
Here here! I think ALL settings should have orcs and if they don't have orcs they better have a damn good reason as to WHY they don't have them! ...
uhmm.. no. Why can't you just accept they were never part of the development of the world? Originally posted by Cam Banks
Sure it does. There aren't any orcs, drow elves, mind flayers, or lycanthropes in the setting. Whether there's an explanation or not, this influences the specific choices available to adventures and campaigns, sets the setting apart from worlds which do have those elements, and bingo - qualities which make the campaign world unique without lifting a finger.
Eh, only if you don't have subterranian elves or an underdark
Only if you haven't had plotlines involving humans who were secretly monsters in disguise.
Only if you haven't got rampaging armies of brutal humanoids.
Originally posted by Kipper Snifferdoo
That's true. There will always be the odd occurance, the spelljamming mind flayers and drow, plane-hopping half-orcs, the tarrasque in the basment of Lord Soth's Keep. Does it kill the setting? No. But I don't have to particularly like it, so I choose to ignore it in my game.
Well, I don't like it either. However, my distaste is mostly because like peanut butter and chocolate, Spelljammer and Planescape don't mix well with Dragonlance.
Though Dragonlance does mix well with Spelljammer and Planescape, if you know what I mean.
Here here! I think ALL settings should have orcs and if they don't have orcs they better have a damn good reason as to WHY they don't have them! ...
Pfft. You are talking to me. Since when have I ever, ever, accepted anything just because somebody said so? I always need a reason, and I always need the plot holes filled. When something is dumb, I'll point it out.
Now, I can certainly accept that drow elves, orcs, and other creatures are not part of the setting. I don't even mind such a thing. I'm certainly not planning on using them. However, it should serve a purpose to what you want to accomplish with the campaign setting.
With the greygem though, it seems we should include every single monster as a possibility if we are going to be consistant. There are dozens of species of savage humanoids on Krynn, including the orc's closest cousins, the ogre and the hobgoblin. So why couldn't the graygem could have created orcs? More importantly, what new monsters are we going to ban from Krynn that weren't around in 2e? None? Well, then why did we feel it was necessary to ban these previous monsters?
The Chaos still has to fit with the greater whole.
Originally posted by ferratus
Pfft. You are talking to me. Since when have I ever, ever, accepted anything just because somebody said so? I always need a reason, and I always need the plot holes filled. When something is dumb, I'll point it out.
I shall rely on you to point out the things which you think are dumb, but I'll reserve judgment on whether they actually are or not. How's that?
Cheers,
Cam
The fact of the matter comes down to this: It was decided that certain monsters, races, whatever would not fit the Krynn that the designers envisioned. Thus, the Graygem never created them.
This is the cleanest, most simplistic, most flawless explanation for the non-existence of a race. Ever. Here, watch, let me apply it to another world.
Why are the star spawn of Cthulhu not in Faerun? Because they never existed.
So, yes, some slip-ups happened. Drow were in a module, a half-orc as in Kendermore. There are more. Welcome to Earth, where people make mistakes. How do we fix these mistakes? By correcting them. Thus has it been corrected that there are no orcs in Krynn, no drow, and certainly no half orcs.
And I'm not going to talk about Spelljammer, not gonna talk about Planescape. I've never dealt with them. I've never really cared for them. If you want include invasions from those settings - Be my guest. But in building the basic world of Krynn, one can not and certainly should not consider Planescape and Spelljammer. Because I'm playing Dragonlance, not Spelljammer or Planescape.
Chaos only has to fit what you need it to fit.
Originally posted by The Udjat
I think you're looking at this the wrong way. Rather than asking 'What's the reason for not having them', ask 'What's the reason for having them?' - Otherwise, if you have to ask 'Why don't they have four armed humans'
Why don't we have four-armed humans on Krynn? Well, we could because we aren't banning them. The problem with orcs is that specifically singling them out. Why them and not other monsters? What is the in world explanation that orcs cannot arise or already exist? Why can't they exist as a possibility, like 4-armed humans?
In the case of orcs we don't have a reason.
Lyncanthropes are because we have three moons, and the gods of magic aren't interested in cursing humans to become savage animal-killers. Fine. That's covered then.
Drow don't exist because we don't have an underdark, and therefore only the gnomes and dwarves have underground cities, which they carved themselves. Fine.
But there is absolutely no difference thematically to why we don't have orcs when we have every single other monstrous humanoid. So it is a plot hole that we are stuck with, or perhaps should maybe forget about.
So if an adventure involves orcs invading from another plane, or drow or illithids crashing to Krynn on spelljammers, then why isn't it considered a canon source? Especially since we are willing to except the Illithids in Taladas, but not the drow in Southern Ergoth. That makes no damn sense at all.
and 'Why can't Earth Cultures be exactly duplicated'
Any variation of the events, neighbouring cultures, cultural influences, important figures in history will generally cause the entire culture as we know it to change into something vastly different. Look what happens when Western Europeans come from across the sea for example.
So if you have a fantasy world that started out with the big bang, formed earth with the exact same landmasses and techtonic plates, had a few ice ages and false starts, gradually evolved humans, who followed the exact events that our world history did... then yes, you can duplicate earth cultures properly. Of course, that's historical earth.
Krynn has a different timeline and creation myth.
The fact of the matter comes down to this: It was decided that certain monsters, races, whatever would not fit the Krynn that the designers envisioned. Thus, the Graygem never created them.
Ah, here is the meat. Why do certain monsters and races not fit the Krynn that the designers envisioned? What makes Hobgoblins or Ogres more Krynn-flavoured than orcs?
Why are the star spawn of Cthulhu not in Faerun? Because they never existed.
Yes, but the difference is that they never said they don't exist either, unlike orcs. They exist as a possibility in Faerun. A product might come along with alien creatures beyond human ken invading Toril. Probably won't happen, but it might.
See, the problem with "Wild Elves" is that it gave a reason for drow to exist without an underdark. So why has it sinned? Why would an author be damaging the setting by including orcs or half-orcs in his novel? Perhaps Orcs aren't really over-exposed anymore. Perhaps the last thing the greygem did before it was captured by the irda was to turn some brigands into orcs. The question is, why not? Why can't the curse of lyncanthropy be a bitter curse made a black robe mage, as per the new rules for cursing in the DLCS?
Why are we going out of our way to ban these monsters when we aren't banning other monsters, even ones that are similar.
Originally posted by ferratus
Why are we going out of our way to ban these monsters when we aren't banning other monsters, even ones that are similar.
We aren't - it takes zero effort to exclude orcs, lycanthropes and other assorted monsters from the setting when they haven't existed in it previously.
And I think you would be surprised the lengths some of us have gone to keep some of the other things in, so let's just say it's much easier to keep them out.
Cheers,
Cam
Originally posted by Cam Banks
We aren't - it takes zero effort to exclude orcs, lycanthropes and other assorted monsters from the setting when they haven't existed in it previously.
It takes zero effort for me not to put a window into a house too, but I still see the hole. ;)
And I think you would be surprised the lengths some of us have gone to keep some of the other things in, so let's just say it's much easier to keep them out.
See, I would have an opposite approach. I wouldn't bend and reach to put monsters in that didn't really fit well with dragonlance's dungeon ecology, but I wouldn't arbitrarily keep them out "just because" either.
Originally posted by ferratus
The problem with orcs is that specifically singling them out.
It’s orc discrimination! Quick, call a lawyer!
Call 1-800-4-NERAKA. ;)
Why them and not other monsters? What is the in world explanation that orcs cannot arise or already exist? Why can't they exist as a possibility, like 4-armed humans?
Because the High God deemed it so.
Funny how the High God happens to be Tracy Hickman… ;)
But there is absolutely no difference thematically to why we don't have orcs when we have every single other monstrous humanoid. So it is a plot hole that we are stuck with, or perhaps should maybe forget about.
You can’t have a hole in a plot when they weren’t included to begin with. It’s like building a house out of wood, then saying you have a “plot hole” as bricks weren’t used.
As I’ve mentioned before, the designers felt that orcs were overexposed, so they opted for a new race that made more sense in-world. They went for draconians.
Let’s approach this from a different angle, though. What are "we" trying to fill? Orcs specifically, or the role of the orcs? Really, it is the latter, and they have been filled by the draconians.
How as for official Dragonlance verses what you'd want in your own campaign, look at it this way.
The 'Official' Dragonlance is a cake made by Tracy and the rest of the crew. They decided to add some ingredients, remove some of them, change the amounts and so forth. Bake to 350 degrees for such and such time, added their choice of frosting, and viola you can the official Dragonlance cake.
In this Dragonlance cake you don't have orcs (for whatever reason), no lycanthropes (for whatever reason), no spells with the names of Greyhawk in them (for whatever reason). But it does have these new kender things (for whatever reason), the Wizards of High Sorcery (for whatever reason), and technology advance yet inept gnomes (for whatever reason). It's just a new flavor of cake. The reasons for this new receipe is something that came out of the design. It was the cook and crew's choices (cook = Tracy, not Monty Cook). Why they did these things on the whole is trivial. Maybe it caused problems they didn't want to deal with. Maybe they didn't feel like it. Maybe Tracy lost a high level character to a 0th-level orc armed solely with a fishing rod. Maybe the orcs burned up against the side of the cakepan after the oven pre-heats. Doesn't matter really.
But, we as players liked the cake (I hope). So we bought the receipe: the Dragonlance Cookbook Setting. Some people will follow the cake receipe as is. Others may change it a little. Or even a lot. Maybe we don't have for the lack of lycanthropes in the frosting. Or the underplay of vampires just overheats in the GE Hotpoint oven we've got. Or maybe Takhisis's death just left a bad taste in our mouths. Again, the reasons don't matter. Go ahead and change the receipe. You may think your receipe is better than the one in the cookbook (for example: Otik does NOT put enough cayane pepper into his potatoes), but it doesn't change what the receipe in the cookbook already is. Tracy and crew had their opinions. Each of us have ours. Heck, I've been involved with drow and lycanthropes on Krynn in some campaigns because I did connect Krynn in with Planescape. One of the best character's my wife played was half-drow half-Silvanesti rogue. I didn't allow her into my 'official DL campaign' that we played later on, but it still rocked for that campaign she was in. Note: I mean I didn't let the PC in; I didn't kick my wife out of the game. ;)
We've all got opinions on Krynn. All 'cannon' means is what Tracy, Margaret, and crew view as source information for their products. Sticking to it isn't all that important for us (or some authors of old *cough*). Hell, sometimes trashing the pre-set world in-game is half the fun!
[The other half is torturing the DM - or the players depending which side of the screen you're on.]It all comes down to the first two rules of RP:
Rule 1. Have fun.
Rule 2. If the rules get in the way of Rule 1, see Rule 1.
Just my 2 steels (plus tax).