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Mar 30, 2012 -- 6:33AM, Madfox11 wrote:

I simply shrug, and mention that it is a game with certain limitations into place both for simplicity and fun.

Or as I like to say  "This is not 'Nam.  This is D&D.  We have rules."

Usually people get the reference and lighten up.

Another approach you can take to encourage following rules is to acknowledge that perhaps the player can't do exactly what they want to do at any given time in the way they want to do it, but you know they are smart enough to figure out a way to make it work within the framework of the rules, so they should consider it a fun challenge.

I would second what MadFox said about the CB.  The number of bugs in it is really exaggerated.  It does just about everything right just about all the time.  But yes, it's not a rules source because it does not necessarily cite things word for word out of the rulebook.  You still gotta know the rules.

Mar 30, 2012 -- 12:04PM, Metafictional wrote:

But there are edge cases, and when they crop up, it causes problems because everyone wants an explanation for why things don't work the way they thought they should RIGHT NOW. 

I know this sounds harsh but when this happens, you know what? 

Too bad.  The explanation is because you're the DM and you said so and we need to move on because we only have a certain amount of time.  Next ...

Yeah, I said that'd sound harsh.  But be fair to yourself too ... you're only human so you can't be expected to always have an explanation for everything right now.  Plus, you're the referee so players are expected to respect that, just like a referee in any other game.  As long as you're trying to be fair and let everyone have fun, that's the best you can do.  If you find you made a mistake, explain what the mistake was and do what you can to rectify it and remember it for next time.

For rules questions/disputes in my monthly group, we abide by whatever decision I make immediately then talk about it later and toward that end I put up a specific section in our Google Group to facilitate rules discussions outside of the game.  I find it really helps people to talk the rules through.  If you communicate with your Encounters players outside the game maybe you might want to consider some sort of forum where rules discussions and RP can happen.  Then if you want to get into a lengthy rules discussion it can be settled without taking time away from the game.

Mar 30, 2012 -- 2:11PM, Cohen95 wrote:

(Warlock's Curse being formatted as a power is a great example of a mistake, it makes players think it is a power, and it's not, and that's a mistake on the part of the program's devs).

What difference does it make whether or not Warlock's Curse is a power? Does this have to do with the belief that monsters can only tell when a "power" affects them and therefore somehow don't know when they've been cursed or quarried or marked by a fighter?

I'm a teacher IRL, so for me, i read the post and immediately found the issue.

1. The player wants to play a game which requires understanding.
2. The player is unwilling to do the (admittedly) large amount of work required to gain that understanding.
3. When he makes mistakes due to lack of understanding, he evades the blame (pinning it on you "making stuff up")

You could "let him walk" and kick him out, probably even ideal if your patience or playing time or even player tolerance is low.  Or you could teach him to play.

This player will be a challenge, but not impossible to teach.

you have 2 options, one will likely give much better results, but will take more work on your part:
Option 1: He reads all the rules pertaining to his class, including combat and use of skills
Option 2: You let him know that D&D requires a lot of rules, especially in combat, to keep things running smoothly.  Certain classes require significantly less rules.  Suggest that he start out with a simple class, such as slayer, scout, knight, hunter, or maybe hexblade (low levels).  Be sure to emphasize the effectiveness of these classes and that they are not "beginner classes."  Once he does that, help him put everything on his BLANK SHEET OF PAPER (not character sheet).  Customize it for him to make things easy to read, find and understand.  For example, a slayer might have an "always" column for at-wills, and a "once each fight" column for encounter powers.  The stances would be listed separately - maybe even simplifying it down to "once per round, you can change a stance or draw/sheathe a weapon (this eliminates even the need to track minor actions).  Lastly, be very SELF-critical.  If you take it upon yourself to help him learn the rules for whatever class he plays, make sure you don't punish him for things YOU forgot to help him with.  Say things like "ok, but i forgot to tell you it works like X.  Next time you use it it will have to work that way."  He can even trasition to harder to run classes step-by-step....maybe layering in Thief the next time, along with a cheat sheet for combat advantage, sneak attack, and the stealth rules.

Should he be reading up all the rules he needs to know to play all the aspects of the game that he's taking onto himself?  Sure.

Is it reasonable to expect him to do that on his own before playing D&D?  Maybe.

Does D&D have a reasonable amount of rules for people who just want to jump in and play?  Absolutely not.  Its a bog of exceptions and qualifications that contradict and affect each other in hard to understand ways.  Having an expert walk you through the rules is, to me, the only reasonable way to learn it.