The Lantern Hall
Painting: an ancient lexicon open on a carved lectern in a dark chapel of books, glowing runes and symbols lifting off its pages like fireflies.
TermTabletop term

Rules as written

Reading a rule strictly by its text (RAW), as opposed to what its designers meant (RAI, rules as intended). D&D designer Jeremy Crawford has written that ideally the two align, but the words on the page do not always communicate the designers' intent.

Reading a rule strictly by its text (RAW), as opposed to what its designers meant (RAI, rules as intended). D&D designer Jeremy Crawford has written that ideally the two align, but the words on the page do not always communicate the designers' intent.

Quick answers

What does "Rules as written" mean?
Reading a rule strictly by its text (RAW), as opposed to what its designers meant (RAI, rules as intended). D&D designer Jeremy Crawford has written that ideally the two align, but the words on the page do not always communicate the designers' intent.

Nearby in the archive

Rules lawyer

Tabletop term

A player who argues the letter of the rules, often to their own advantage, and treats the rulebook as a legal code. Every table has one; sometimes it is the Game Master.

Jeremy Crawford

Game designer

D&D's longtime chief rules designer: co-lead of 5th Edition, author of Sage Advice, lead designer of the 2024 Player's Handbook, and later Game Director of Critical Role's Darrington Press.

Rule zero

Tabletop term

The unwritten first rule of many roleplaying games: the Game Master has final say and may change any rule for the good of the game. It underwrites Homebrew and ends many rules arguments.

Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition

Tabletop RPG2014

The edition that made Dungeons & Dragons mainstream: a lighter rules set built on advantage and disadvantage, carried by actual-play shows and pandemic-era virtual tables to record sales.

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