Having read (and reread) many, many threads throughout this board, im struck by how many groups seem to have disregarded some (or all in one case!) of the RAW and substituted them for thier own rules.

I was just interested in seeing how prevalent this is with a poll.

All i want is a response confirming that your group uses the Rules As Written, or that they dont. If they dont, please add a quick (i mean this, please) summary of which rules are altered/amended/thrown out, why this was done and the results on your game.

Hope people can find the time to add to this poll as i cant see it done elsewhere...

S.K.

To begin... our group uses the RAW. We did make some minor amendments but the errata's fixed all of them officially for us..

I'd say we use the Rules as Written, with minor, minor changes to suit the diversity of gamers in our group.

I'd say NOT to RAW.

Rule number one in RPG is to have fun.(Fun doesn't always mean winning. This is Warhammer, its fun to lose)

And sometimes, the rules just get in the way.

Also, the good thing about RPG systems is that if you know them well enough, you can customize your rules according to your whims and what would be better for the players.

As you probably already know, I'm definitly Not to RAW.

Changes:

• Removed the games Critical Existence Failure by having Criticals based on attack force and not current wound level.
• Altered damage effects to make things more deadly, especially X damage, Plasma, and Meltas
• Combined TB and AP into one soak number for ease of damage calculation
• Altered how DoS is calculated to eliminate math
• Simplified combat actions for my players lazy sanity and to make combat more creative and less tactic based
• Did away with the Fantasy Adventure economic model
• Removed many instances of too much dice rolling, such as how Blood Loss is done, the check for Righteous Furry, as well as how Opposed Tests are handled.

Not RAW.

We use the rules system from Over the Edge ( http://www.atlas-games.com/overtheedge/ ), which is much, much simpler and is easily adapted to any RPG.

We're a mature group of gamers who've played various different RPGs together for a number of years, including some diceless/statless games. We were already familiar with different rule systems that we liked and were comfortable using. We like the DH materials for their discussion of the setting, background, maps, etc. (we're all big fans of Dan Abnett and the 40K fluff written by him and the other good Black Library authors), but the RAW weren't something we felt the need to fool with. We're the kind of gamers who are interested in playing the story, and we don't need to spend all our time rolling dice, comparing stats and point values, and consulting a dozen different charts, etc. to keep the game fair and balanced and, most important of all, fun. That's what our GM is for.

I also will just add my personal beef is that the RAW for Psykers are just plain ridiculous and contrary to the canonical 40K literature, both in terms of the attainable in-game power level for an Acolyte (way overpowered) and the way PotW are handled.

Not RAW. My first rule, in any game, is that the game comes before the rules and where the rules go against having fun, the rules lose.

Wait... We are talking about sex without condoms, right? O.o

Mostly RAW, with little tweaks as they come up. I didn't care for a few of the combat rules, so I ditched or replaced them. A few items didn't make sense, a talent here or there seemed redundant or whatnot. Typically I try to use the rules of a system the way they are written, so as to maintain the ambiance the writers intended the mechanics would support ... but nobody gets it right all the time.

RAW with a few minor changes (like having the damage bonus for aiming accurate weapons only apply for full round aims. If it takes a full round aim action to use a telescopic sight, it takes a full round aim to get the possible extra damage).

Not RAW. Right now we have a cobbled-together system of house rules on the RAW framework, with too many changes for me to list. And I'm working on a totally new system for it, so we'll use that whenever I get done with it.

The way of the RAW is the true way!

I generally use the RAW, except where tweaks are needed as Plot, Fun, or common sense requires.

I find the RAW work very well, but the GM has to have a very detailed knowledge of the system for its internal balance to work. Exceptions, innovations, improvisation, and so forth also make most RPGs more fun. So if a house rule makes your game flow properly, then it's a good house rule.

I'm not sure if I'd use a fan-based overhaul unless it had a sterling reputation, since I find that most of those are hideously balanced compared to professional work. If I'm going to add something significant, most of the time I'll just make it up myself.

I mostly use the RAW with many minor tweaks mostly involving character generation, equipment, and combat. The main thing however is my total work over of how elite advances works. Instead of asking permission from me, I let my players have up to 1/3 of their total experience points spent on secondary skills. These skills are derived from a chart on which me and my players agreed for the nonstandard prices of all advances.

Oh I also got rid of the payment system, substituting with a hybrid d20 wealth system. This system represents their favor with their inquisitor and how they use it to requisition material. The more missions they succeed on, the higher bonus they get. Likewise if they fail they are penalized. To make it up to the nobles in our group, I made it so that they add a bonus to requisition as they are experienced in currying favor our of higher powers. This effect stacks if there are multiple in the party.

Once again I allow my players to remove corruption points by spending 200xp per, symbolizing ritual cleansing and atonement, maybe even a little soul scrubbing done by a sanctioned psyker. This is a lengthy process and the sheer stress can break a lesser mind. Therefore for every corruption point removed, the character must make a -10 will test or take 1d5 insanity points. I wanted to make it hard but not impossible to redeem oneself.

I also have a tendency to assign secondary objectives to my missions that grant exp as well as fate points. They may be heroic or horrendous things, but the point is that gods smile on certain activities. Whether this is the wretched grin of Nurgle or the praise of the Emperor of Mankind is totally up to me.

Not totally RAW - If they get in the way of fun and or narrative they are adjusted to fit.............

RAW is needed more in competative games where players face off agaisnt each other as a change of the rules can lead to one side gaining an advantage can be unfair, which can spoil the fun for the other person (something GW keeps forgetting). Since an RPG is a collaborative game played consistantly with the same people changing the rules doesn't have an unbalancing effect as likely rules are being changed to alter difficulty or to add immersion, realism or just cater to a groups preferances. If I am playing a stranger at 40k I want to know the RAW rules so that we can both be playing on the same page and we can both have a fun game, if I am playing DH with my regular gaming group I will use house rules and tweak things to make the game more enjoyable for everyone involved.

It annoys me when I rule something and a player tries to use RAW to overrule me, if I decide not to use RAW or to interperate something a certain way that is how we will do things.

Kaihlik

I use some rules from WFRP 2E, especially mixing some of the Magic rules into play, like using doubles and triples instead of "9"s for Perils tests.

I also use some of the rules from Chaosium games (a la Call of Cthulhu and Stormbringer) as well as Recon from Palladium in regards to modifiers for % tests.

I like to use WFRP 2E Tome of Corruption Mutation and WFRP 2E Disease rules as well as WFRP 2E Warhammer Companion rules for Advanced Social Interaction and Surgery/Medicine.

I also like to let PCs ge 100XP for each of the starting at character generation: -1 Permanent Wound, -1 Permanent Fate Point, 1D10 Insanity, 1D5 Corruption, -1D5 to a characteristic.

Currently looking at the document found on Dark Reign for Age and Experience, as well a the Advanced Character Generation rules I had on my now dead cause Yahoo and Geocities abandoned me web site Unearthed Apocrypha to develope some rules for creating advanced, yet random and balanced starting characters. May have influences thrown in from Mutant Chronicles 1E career rules and from what Ive seen of Rogue Trader's character generation.

NOT to RAW

• "Basic Skills" are attribute -10; not halve attribute (streamlining)
• Plasmaweapons penetration count against TB as well
• Will try to use CRIT for every wound hit that (after TB and AP) makes more DMG then TB (the Difference = the crit result)
• **** THOSE PRICE LISTS FOR COMMON GOODS!

I forgot to mention that we use the scatter die from Warhammer 40k for scatter instead of the chart as well. I think it's more fun.

Mostly RAW.

Three house rules

1. Perception Tests: When making a Perception Roll, add +20 if you are trained in Awareness. If you have a +10 or a +20 to Awareness, add this to the total modifier. For example, a character with Awareness +20 would have 20 + 20 = +40 on their Perception Test.
2. Prayers before Battle. If an acolyte skilled in Common Lore (Imperial Creed) takes a full action and succeeds in Perform(Orate or Singer), this gives everyone in earshot a +10% on Fear tests for the next encounter. The encounter must be within the next hour. Other group members can assist with Common Lore (Imperial Creed) rolls.
3. Prayers in Battle: Once per encounter, acolytes may attempt to pray in battle as a free action by making a Common Lore (Imperial Creed) roll. If they have already failed a fear test, they must make a Willpower check first to being praying reflexively. This gives all acolytes within earshot an immediate extra recovery roll even regardless if their fear effect allows recovery or not. They may continue to pray out loud each round for the same benefit as long as they make their Common Lore (Imperial Creed). They gain a + 5 cumulative bonus to this roll as they become filled with the spirit of the Emperor. Other group members can assist with Common Lore (Imperial Creed) rolls.

Nojo509 said:

Might have to steal all of those ideas!

The one thing I do not use from the RAW is the cover rules. Far too much bookkeeping with this scenery soaking up the damage. I just use cover as a penalty on the to hit roll from -10 to -30.

More or less RAW but with the GM (me) as final arbiter and with the priviso that I can change things as and when as long as it makes the game fast and fun.

Oh and righteous fury always occurs on a 10, No need to hit again and NPC's have this ability as well. Combat is and should be lethal.

Solomon Kane said:

Hmm, our group sort of improve rules that we think doesn't make any sense "on the fly" so to speak. So it's hard to remember exactly every little change and tweak we've done so far.

One I can remember at the top of my head though is that if a PC has the talent Bulging Biceps he or she can use two handed melee weapons in just one hand.

no to the RAW. its the Radical rabblemaker in me. in some ways i've made the game harder, in others easier.

1) scrapped the career progression charts. barring a few talents they all end up looking the same. its just a matter of when. kept the XP ranks for demarcation. developed special talents for each career path based on rank.

2) reworked skills so that they can be taken whenever the character so chooses with the exception of a few notable ones for certain career paths. skills have been 'smoothed' to +5 increments as opposed to +10.

3) Acolytes start off more experienced. in my game Inquisitors don't pick any old joe shmoe guard, adept or assassin just waiting to get wet behind the ears but skilled and/or special individuals.

4) weapons have been moved from being talents to being skills enabling them to be purchased as much building specializations

5) weapons have an AP which can defeat an equal or lesser value of armour outright. TB is used to reduce wounds.

and there's a few more.

but definetly no RAW for me.