For the first time in my life, I'm playing with a group that everyone owns a copy of the rules. It's wonderful! It means I can get on with, you know, the business of GMing, instead of playing researcher and librarian.

A copy of the rules is usually what my guys get for birthdays and xmass from me.

Frankly, in a lot of games the players better know the rules ... I can rack up a lot of brutal TPKs (or, in less kill-centric games, a lot of brutal humiliations and human tragedy) against people who don't have the rules-skill to fend off my attacks.

Lord, I only wish my players knew the rules better.

I also wish their reading of rules were a little less selective (e.g. leaving out the fact that a certain spell only affects Humanoids and so on.)

-O

Quote from: droogWhose free? And what's a free?

I've been running a Star Frontiers game. The rules are avaiable free on the intar-web. If your interested in checking them out. Look in my sig below.

Another voice in favor of players knowing the rules, whether they own them or not.

They'd damn well better know the rules. I'm way too lazy to do all the work involved in running a game where I'm the only one who knows the rules.

I too will note that there's not much that anyone can do about this sort of thing anyways; but I generally like for my players to have their own copies of the corebooks when we play (doesn't often happen though).

However, if we're talking about a book that is purely setting/GM material (ie. The Great Pendragon Campaign), where the only reason for a player to get his hands on it is to cheat (ie. to know what's coming up, or secrets he's not supposed to know), then I would try to discourage that.

I always kind of operate on the assumption that my players will be doing this, though; and adapt to it when I see it happen. On the whole, my real reason for telling them not to do this isn't so much about me as it is about them, since they will only be ruining their own experiences by trying to "look ahead".

RPGPundit

Quote from: ImperatorI would like for them all to own a copy and learn it. But they're lazy bastards.

Yep. I fucking yearn for the day when my players will actually buy their own copies. They all earn good money and enjoy the rulesets we use, so it really shouldn't be an issue.

Rules? Hell yeah. But as a player i like encountering the unkown, so i avoid anything that i would consider GM material. Likewise, as a GM, i prefer my players to be shocked and amazed at what they encounter during a session, so 'GM material' i prefer to be the province of the GM only. Shock and awe, baby. Shock and awe.

I like it when players know the rules. And if I'm wrong and they correct me, the better!!

When players know the rules, they can help me.

Similarly, I like to know the rules, and I hate GMs who want to keep me "in the dark".

Quote from: BalbinusPlayers knowing the rules is only a problem if the player is a dick

As always, Balbinus saying something sensible and intelligent. :haw:

Quote from: ClaudiusI like it when players know the rules. And if I'm wrong and they correct me, the better!!

When players know the rules, they can help me.

Similarly, I like to know the rules, and I hate GMs who want to keep me "in the dark".

I'm down with all of this- except when they do something in game like bitch that the ogre had 10 more hit points than it should have.

I actually give bonus XP to any player who gets the rulebook for whatever game we're playing within the first few session. If they already own the rulebook, more power to 'em: they get the points.

Doing do benefits me, my players and the game in general in a few ways:

• Less strain on my books since everyone can look up rules and fluff in their own books rather than mine, since mine get enough strain as is.
• My players become familiar with the rules which only benefits the game. The game gets stopped less if players know the rules and things just flow smoother. Rules Lawyers will be what they are regardless. But those types don't last long in my games.
• Character generation goes faster the more core books there are at the table. Ever try making six or seven characters with one copy of the core book? It tacks on another couple of hours (if not days, depending on the system).
• They might decide to GM/DM/ST a campaign on their own once they become comfortable with the rules. It's a small hope for me (I'm always GM it seems and I *do* happen to like playing as well).

Campaign setting books are different. If there's a lot of GM-only information in a book (besides the core book) I'd rather my players not get it. That's one of the reasons I happen to like Kalamar as much as I do. The core book has all the information about the setting, but the Player's Primer gives the same information, but from the eyes of a person in the setting and without the GM only stuff. I haven't checked out the FR or Ebberon player's guides to see if they do the same thing, but I always like that.

-=Grim=-

It doesn't bother me if they do or don't have the rules.  Luckily, my players know the basics of the games we play and we only have to use a rulebook on a tricky and essential bit in the game...like if their character's lives hang in the balance.  As for the source material, I change it to some degree but they are free to buy the book, especially if it only gives general details.