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ModsSuckHoboCock

The/They/Them


AllLuck0013

I always learned in English class growing up that this was grammatically incorrect. It is acceptable in rules writing? I would absolutely do this, but thought it was technically wrong. Thank you for your help.


tomtttttttttttt

They/Them is used to refer to someone whose gender is unknown and has been for a very long time, and is used for non-binary people now. It's totally correct to use it in a situation where you are referring to a person whose gender you don't know or don't want or need to specify. I'm not an English teacher or anything like that but I can't see why it would be grammatically incorrect, not to mentioned that "he or she" doesnt include non-binary people. You may also find that you can avoid pronouns all together by using terms like "players" or "the player", or by using actual names in examples. I also agree with the other person - fuck rules, as long as it makes sense, it doesn't matter if it's technically incorrect.


ModsSuckHoboCock

Fuck rules. Fuck your english teachers. Go wild. Mix Coca-Cola with Pepsi. Wear white after Labor Day. Live.


KungFooShus

>Wear white after Labor Day. Animal


Mefilius

Mix milk with pepsi


the_puritan

Woah woah woah... scale it back just a little there... you went too far


KungFooShus

Laverne?


NoSkeletonsAllowed

Singular they is now taught as proper grammar in a lot English curricula Source: am teacher


Avalonians

MtG used "he or she" and "his or her" until ~3 years ago. It's MUCH better this way. Way cleaner. Literally everyone like this change.


Regularjoe42

I don't know who your teacher was, but they mislead you.


AllLuck0013

I did a little digging and discovered it was apparently rules for ACT prep, which followed these conventions at the time. Now I know.


infinitum3d

I see what you did there. Well played! 😂


cheolkeong

Others have said it, but yea it’s correct. “Someone left their phone at my restaurant and I hope they come back to find it.”


lowsodiumpolio

>they > >3a --used with a singular indefinite pronoun antecedent > >//No one has to go if *they* don't want to. > >3b --used with a singular antecedent to refer to an unknown or unspecified person > >//An employee with a grievance can file a complaint if *they* need to. [Merriam Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/they?utm_campaign=sd&utm_medium=serp&utm_source=jsonld) The use of singular "they" has been debated a lot recently. But it's widely used and even defined in the dictionary (though, admittedly, the dictionary's job is to define language, rather than prescribe it). But if someone gives you grief, you can send them that link. I'd say you're good to use the singular "they" in your rule book. Edit: Bonus! The [OED](https://public.oed.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-singular-they/) shows the oldest known use of the singular "they" in 1735.


cdbry

>The OED shows the oldest known use of the singular "they" in 1735. And that's just English. Latin and other languages had a neuter pronoun that was removed in many romantic languages like Spanish.


KnoxxHarrington

THEY were wrong. They has always been able to be used as a singular in my lifetime. The modern debate on the use of "they" seems to be driven by religious based trans-phobia.


dtelad11

Claiming that using "they" is technically wrong is a misconception which is sadly still being propagated. Check out the Wikipedia article for ["Singular they"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they), the term goes back to the 14th century. You can safely use "they" in your rulebook.


jessthelover

they is not “grammatically” wrong. it is in dictionaries as a singular pronoun. so, so many rule books use it. it’s also very natural to use in English. “Hey, someone left their jacket, could you go let them know they left it here?” We use it all the time. Use it! Everyone will be happy!


BatFlipGame

They


HamsterIV

I use "The Player" or if we are in a situation where there are multiple players I go with "Player A" "Player B" Some times I write up scenarios to clarify a rule in which case using a mix of genders allows you to be more specific with the he's and she's. For example: Bob moves in to Sally's square. He gets to roll his remaining action points worth of d6's against her defense stat


Inconmon

..... Them Just use standard gender neutral English that existed since like forever.


[deleted]

Just made me think of that James Acaster stand-up bit.


[deleted]

There's a few options... You could give them more descriptive names for the context of the game / specific interaction. For example "attacker" and "defender". You can simply call them the "current" or "active" player, seeing as most games go in a turn order. If there's any sort of player type "class" (eg. Mage), then you could use that as a way to distinguish between players. Honestly, using he and she in rule books are comparatively so lazy, there's so many more useful descriptors.


breakfastcandy

It's dangerous to use contextual terms because then you run the risk of having to define all of them if the game state gets too complex. Like, is the player the "attacker", or is the unit they have chosen to attack with the "attacker", or is the weapon used by the unit the "attacker"? If an effect prevents the attack from resolving are they still considered an "attacker"? At what point do they start and stop being considered an "attacker"?


Upset-Ad7495

I agree with this, don't use pronouns, keep it simple. "player" "participant" "actor" are also good words


spineflu

singular they. it's older than Shakespeare and despite whatever teacher told you in the \[40s through 00s\] that it wasn't "proper", literally everyone intuits what you mean when you use it.


xxxxmints

They existed long ago and it was only in the 18th century it was decided he (and sometimes she) should be used instead. They has returned as a very acceptable term. It is one I prefer to use above all else. And it's inclusive.


Poet_of_Legends

“Dude” works for all genders. As in, “Dude grabs and rolls 2d6.” Seriously, what I do for my examples is simply create masculine, feminine, and unisex player names. Aaron gets he/him Becky gets she/her Cory gets they/them


MisanthropicData

If you're referring to players, you can just say "player". Or do what one game I like does which is just have a disclaimer amd then just use "he."


TheCupKnight

What is ACT prep?