| |
BGonline.org Forums
New Rules in LA--What is the verdict?
Posted By: Phil Simborg
Date: Monday, 10 June 2013, at 5:57 p.m.
The new rules were used and the jury is out. What is the verdict? I would love to hear from the players if they enjoyed the new rules or had problems with them. Of course there will ALWAYS be people who will never agree that legal moves are better, and a short discussion proved this....it's like arguing politics or religion.
Twice during this tournament my opponent hit the clock when he thought I had a closed board and didn't have a turn to roll. I LOVED that I was obligated to tell him to take his turn. With non-legal moves, I would have had the old ethical dilemma of whether or not to "be a nice guy" and let him roll, or be true to my responsibilities to do my best within the rules to win and take advantage of my opponent's mistakes. Personally, I do not want to win that way, and I do not want to be put in that position. Conversely, if I make such an error, I don't want my opponent to have that problem. This is just one of many such problems resolved by legal moves.
But there are many other things I love about the "improved" rules, and they are not at all about any rule changes...they are about taking away misunderstandings and ambiguity.
I have heard people say our legal rolling rule is "ridiculous" that it is stupid to require people to shake the dice at least three times and then drop the dice at least 4 inches above the board. They claim that NOBODY is going to go around with a tape measure.
They are completely missing the point. Nobody is going to count the number of times someone shakes the dice or how far above the board they drop them UNLESS someone has a problem with the way their opponent is rolling. Then, rather than get into an argument, after you have nicely pointed out to your opponent that you don't believe he is shaking or rolling properly and ask him if he would please be more careful, if he doesn't comply, you can then call the director. And the directly can point to a specific rule that clearly shows that he is required to shake the dice at least 3 times, and that he cant lay his cup on the table when he rolls, and that the dice must clearly fall from the cup and bounce and roll, and not just come to rest. These definitive guidelines are only for when there is a problem, and now, it is not an "arbitrary" ruling by the director...the player cannot get made at the director for picking on him or coming up with some arbitrary rule.
Without a clear rule, what right to I have to ask my opponent to shake the dice, or stop laying the dice softly on the table?
This is just one good example as to why it doesn't hurt to have good, clear guidelines. But a couple of old-timers who say, and I quote, "There is nothing wrong with the old rules" are, in a word, simply stubborn and not open minded. And they just resist change. FOR NOT GOOD REASON.
Whenever I hear "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," I know this is someone who is not open-minded. Sorry, guys, but you know who I am talking about. Let's be friends and lets agree to disagree on this one.
| |
BGonline.org Forums is maintained by Stick with WebBBS 5.12.