Can I lose the Rule Goblin badge and still check the board-game rules?
Funny'Ask the Rule Goblin,' my friend Sam said, sliding a homemade green badge across the table. A new player looked at me and asked, 'Do you have to wear that to play?'
The badge started after I caught a rule we'd all misunderstood. We'd been taking two actions when the booklet said one. Sam drew a goblin holding a tiny clipboard, and I thought it was funny. I even wore it for the photo.
Now every question comes to me, but every answer gets a groan. Last Saturday, someone asked whether a card could be played twice. I opened the booklet. Sam said, 'The inspector has arrived,' and two people started making stamp noises. We lost a few minutes to the bit, then another player asked me to hurry up.
I sometimes check details nobody else cares about. I'm willing to be better at letting a casual game move along. But this question came from someone else, and the correction affected who won. I don't want to become either the unpaid referee or the person afraid to mention a rule.
How do I ask them to retire the badge without announcing that all fun has been suspended pending investigation?