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

[Bruce Probst]

On Thu, 27 Nov 2003 21:40:40 -0500, "Bruce Bakken" <bebakken at hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Curious to refresh my memory, I found a link on MMP's web site called "ASL 
>FAQ".  It is touted as a "document to answer FAQ regarding ASL in general."  
>I followed it, hoping to learn more about "Perry Sez".  If the information 
>to be found here was not officially sanctioned, I assumed it wouldn't be 
>included as a link on the official web site.

Thanks for finding my words useful (for it was indeed I who wrote the text
that you quoted).  Nevertheless, the FAQ is indeed "unsanctioned", although
I know MMP has read it and thus nothing in it is "officially disagreed with"
(to the best of my knowledge).  At least, if it is disagreed with, they kept
mum about it <g>.

I think (speculation only) the reason the link is there is because MMP
thinks "as an ASL player, you may find this useful".  Surely that is a valid
reason for including a link, without requiring any "official" stamp of
"What's Written Here Is Truth"?  (Does the fact thay they also include the
link to the ASLML indicate that everything posted on the ASLML is
"Officially Sanctioned by MMP"?)

That being said, it seems however that you have fastened on to the following
sentence:

>Hence, all "unofficial" Q&A (even a "MacSez") must be treated with 
>caution.

and ignored this one:

>Nevertheless, many of the 
>"unofficial" Q&A are quite important and make a lot of sense (and end up 
>becoming "official" eventually anyway).

If you don't mind me saying so, ignoring all unofficial Q&A because of a
bee-in-your-bonnet is as foolish a position as
accepting-all-without-question.

Personally, I live in a happy medium.  I take most unofficial Q&A at their
word, noting their unofficial status, and if I discover that later they
become "wrong" because of some official errata (or whatever), well, I make
the necessary mental adjustment, erase the pencilled notation from my rules
pages, and move on with my ASL life.

If a tournament director is looking for assistance in making a decision, I
will point out to him all Q&A (official or otherwise) that I have available.
If the director decides to ignore the unofficial Q&A, that's his right and I
would certainly abide by it.  On the other hand, if the director thinks the
unofficial Q&A is useful and abides by it, that's also his right and I'm
happy to abide with that, too.

As for non-tournament play, all Q&A (official or otherwise) is a "guide" to
"what the rulebook forgot to mention".  I point it out to my opponents, if
it's unofficial we discuss it, decide how reasonable it is (99% of the time
it's deemed perfectly reasonable) and play accordingly.

All very straight-forward and painless, actually.

(And in case you're wondering: yes, occasionally I encounter some unofficial
Q&A that I personally strenuously disagree with, usually because of a
flat-out contradiction to what the printed rules say.  I ignore those
unofficial Q&A and pray that they never become official.  But I don't trash
*all* unofficial Q&A just because of those very few unusual examples.)

----------------------------------------------------------------
Bruce Probst              bprobst at netspace.net.au
Melbourne, Australia      MSTie #72759
"A planet where apes evolved from men?"
ASL FAQ              http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/mantis/ASLFAQ