[ASLML] "Mac Sez" and "Perry Sez"

[Sam Belcher]

Bruce, et al,

> >I will accept any posting labeled a
> >Perry Sez as "certified", and I use
> >the Perry Sez Site.
> >
> 
> I generally accept this sentiment, and those expressed below.

Good. In general, we agree then. 

> What if you're playing someone who's asked a question of MMP and gotten a
> reply, but for one reason or another has not shared it with anybody?
> 
> According to the standards expressed by a fair proportion of ASLML
> respondent's, this "private" Perry Sez should be just as valid as any
> other.
>   Or is it only valid if it's *posted* somewhere?
> 
> I'm not suggesting that anybody will lie and make up "Perry Sez"s.
> 
> I'm suggesting there is no way to prove otherwise without an Official Q&A,
> and to force someone to accept a purported "Perry Sez" that is not
> Officially corroborated -- even if you are the TD and it is your
> tournament
> -- is, well, just plain wrong.

You make a good point. There is the possibility that someone whips out a
"Perry Sez" at a tournament to support some weird rules interpretation. At
Enfilade this is handled this way. 

"Where did this come from?"

"Perry sent it to me."

At this point it's up to the tournament director to make a call. If the
Perry Sez is not posted anywhere - and of course we are assuming this Perry
Sez reverses some accepted view of the rules - then I'd likely make my call
without the use of that particular Perry Sez. At Enfilade I make it clear
before the tourney that if you ask me for a ruling I will make the call and
there is no appeal. I always try to have with me a print out of all "known"
Perry Sez statements as well as a rule book. So if this happens at a
tournament, you can easily ask the tourney director for his decision. 

The real question is this. Can you trust your opponent? If I -ever- get the
impression that someone is arguing whichever side of the rule that will
benefit him at the moment then I decide not to play that person again. Its
only happened once in my experience and I've probably played hundreds of
games. (and over a hundred opponents). 

So if you and I are playing and you bring up one of these. I'll probably
accept it. Why? Because I believe you are a person of integrity. Its been my
experience that the people I've played have -all- (with one possible
exception) been people who didn't want to win so much that they would cheat,
lie, steal or hit me over the head. 

If it bothers you that much, you can always keep a print out of current
Perry Sez in your rule book and tell you opponent that those are the only
ones you accept. I'm less likely to play you in that case, but what the hey.
No hard feelings. 

Sam