| Chapter 18: Rulebooks |

| 18.14. Consider and abide

It often happens that one rule needs to invoke another one. The best way to do this is with the phrase:

> consider ...name of the rule or rulebook...

This throws away the result: indeed, it makes no difference whether the rule succeeds, fails or has no outcome. More often, though, we want not only to invoke another rule, but also to be guided by its advice. For this, we use the otherwise identical phrase

> abide by ...name of the rule or rulebook...

Here, if the rule being abided by comes to a stop (i.e., succeeds or fails) then the original rule also stops, at once and without going on to any further instructions. For example, the following duplicates the effect of a rulebook of four rules: it tries each in turn, and stops as soon as any of them stop.

> The omnibus rule: abide by the first rule; abide by the second rule; abide by the third rule; abide by the fourth rule.

Abide might be used in examples like this one:

> A thing can be fragile or robust.
> This is the can't handle fragile things roughly rule: if the noun is fragile, say "[The noun] is too fragile for such rough handling." instead.
> A check dropping rule: abide by the can't handle fragile things roughly rule. A check throwing it at rule: abide by the can't handle fragile things roughly rule.

Had we used "consider" instead of "abide by", then in the event of the player typing "drop angel" the text "The glass angel is too fragile for such rough handling" would be printed, which is correct - but then the action would continue as though no difficulty had occurred, which is definitely not correct.

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