Taking the same skill twice

[Xeterog]

There are other grey areas too, there are in all rules. For example, how do you know you can stab with multiblock? How do you know you don't have to go for it a third time to throw a second frenzied block when you have Frenzy and Sprint? The answer is, reasonable readings of the rules allow such actions. But nowhere in the rules does it state you can do either one.

Multiple block/stab. Reading the skills it is obvious (to me) that you can use them together (stab replaces a block, multiple Block used blocks). Not only that, it is spelled out in the FAQ...so this is in LRB 5 multiple ways.

Sprint/frenzy is less obvious, but still there in the rules as you are not required to use a skill unless the skill says you must use it..sprint has nothing in it's skill description saying you must use it.

You don't have to spell out every last thing in rules. You can make inferences from them. However, nothing anywhere says or implies that you can take the same skill twice. Most everything implies the opposite of that in fact. Heck, I'd even point to the fact that no player, Rookie or Star, has 2 of the same skill--I'd think that at least one star would have double mighty blow or double dodge if was available just because they could.

[Xeterog]

But GorTex and I are both Americans!

Then again, we have a vast cultural divide between us. Race? Religion? Sex? Political Affiliation? Stance on the issues? No, not that I am aware of.

But he likes dwarves and I don't!!!!! I'm guessing that explains it all.

That could be it...

more likely is that I've been indoctrinated into rules lawyering mentality by some very good (and quite annoying) rules lawyers playing Star Fleet Battles back in the day. I had to learn how to read rules to defend myself from their convoluted arguments. I've never seen a set of rules (outside of RPGs) that went with a premise of "You can do anything not prohibitied by these rules", rather they all have an underlying premise of "You can only do what is written or can be inferred by these rules...ie if it isn't in the rules, you can't do it."

Many a rules lawyer will try to infer rules that aren't there at all, using flimsy logic to make the inference---(why else would there have ever been an argument of the use of the word "may" )

-ps..I'm getting old..I know I had a point I was trying to make..but I think I lost it somewhere

[Papa Sebco]

Would a BBRC ruling satisfy him?

You can only pick skills once!

I'll try to remember it for the next review.

That's exactly what he wanted !

Now, he agrees with what I said. Thanks a lot.

PS : I know, it would have been simple to just tell him "it is forbidden, no discussion" ! But the fact is that I just answered "it is forbidden, this is written in the rules"... and that was not exactly written in the rules... but the more important is that we all know this isn't possible.

[Aliboon]

In Germany its the thought process that says, if there isnt a law / sign / instruction that can say i can do it, I probably CANT. For example, if there is no sign that says "You can ride your horse on this trail", I probably cant ride horses here.

Mmm, I think that because your flatmate was German probably has more to do with it rather than him being European (Europe is quite a diverse place after all and as an anicdotal point, when the French were banned from smoking in indoor public places, they just carried on regardless and the authorities didn't do anything about it).

Germany is, by most accounts quite a rigid and law abiding society, so they would be less likely to do things which they didn't know they could do.

[Jural]

...You don't have to spell out every last thing in rules. You can make inferences from them...

That's the point I'm really trying to make. The coach who is trying to choose Extra Arms twice THINKS he is making an inference from the rules.

And really, it's just the word "new" that makes the inference poor. Well, that and the fact that almost all skills are designed such that picking up two of them is useless.

[whitetiger]

There's an old saying that "In any revolution, the lawyers are hung first."

Does that include rules lawyers?

Used to play a guy that would argue that defering the kick meant that he got to choose each half whether to receive or not.