Let me clarify one thing here: there is no reason the cards can't be played together, on the same character, in a Dragonstorm game. And, as a rule, there are even some 'forbidden' combinations that actually (IMHO) make sense. (Forbidden by [u]whom[/u], you ask. Ah, my children! Listen and you shall hear.) There are some combinations, both 'forbidden' and not, that are pretty silly -- but that's going to be true in any game system.
However, they can't be played together in a [u]Guild[/u] game. You see the game Dragonstorm is created and published by Black Dragon Press. They're the ones who write (or at least sign off on) those little boxes of text on the bottom of the card (and the numbers along the right side of the card) that go [u]with[/u] the pretty pictures. They also publish (periodically) errata to the printed cards. If those boxes don't say the cards can't be played together, then they can be -- [b]in non-Guild games[/b].
There's another group, very closely associated with, but separate from, Black Dragon Press, called the Storm Riders Guild. They have a whole bunch of [u]extra[/u] rules and 'errata' which were developed to facilitate the objective of people creating and playing characters in diverse settings with many GMs, while still offering at least a modicum of quality control and validation. Under those [u]extra[/u] rules, which of course, [u]aren't[/u] printed on the cards, there are several more 'forbidden combinations'. ('Forbidden', of course, meaning 'forbidden by the Guild for use in guild-sanctioned games'.)
The dilemma being that said game designer (who is a very nice lady and a fine GM), is a good Dragonstorm GM, but not necessarily a good [b]Guild[/b] GM. However, the Guild has found it in their interest to grant the designer 'carte blanche' and effectively recognize her authority in matters relating to the game. (For understandable reasons, I expect. ^_^)
So, if the game designer 'signs off on' a 'forbidden' combination (or even single card), the effect is generally that, for that character, that particular Guild rule (or rules) gets suspended. And she's happy to sign off on things for the nice people who are buying lots of her product. ('Cause she's a nice lady.) So there are (I suspect) more than just a few 'exceptions' to guild rules out there.
Ethical players, of course, won't ask her to sign off on something they [u]know[/u] to be illegal, but the Guild rules [u]aren't[/u] printed on the cards and some of them can be hard to recall -- especially if you are new to the game. Storm Wardens (i.e., GMs) who 'inherit' some of her signed off chars get to deal with the fallout in their games as best they can. But this is a by-product of the Guild situation, not a fault in the game itself.
Re: Sorry to hear...
However, they can't be played together in a [u]Guild[/u] game. You see the game Dragonstorm is created and published by Black Dragon Press. They're the ones who write (or at least sign off on) those little boxes of text on the bottom of the card (and the numbers along the right side of the card) that go [u]with[/u] the pretty pictures. They also publish (periodically) errata to the printed cards. If those boxes don't say the cards can't be played together, then they can be -- [b]in non-Guild games[/b].
There's another group, very closely associated with, but separate from, Black Dragon Press, called the Storm Riders Guild. They have a whole bunch of [u]extra[/u] rules and 'errata' which were developed to facilitate the objective of people creating and playing characters in diverse settings with many GMs, while still offering at least a modicum of quality control and validation. Under those [u]extra[/u] rules, which of course, [u]aren't[/u] printed on the cards, there are several more 'forbidden combinations'. ('Forbidden', of course, meaning 'forbidden by the Guild for use in guild-sanctioned games'.)
The dilemma being that said game designer (who is a very nice lady and a fine GM), is a good Dragonstorm GM, but not necessarily a good [b]Guild[/b] GM. However, the Guild has found it in their interest to grant the designer 'carte blanche' and effectively recognize her authority in matters relating to the game. (For understandable reasons, I expect. ^_^)
So, if the game designer 'signs off on' a 'forbidden' combination (or even single card), the effect is generally that, for that character, that particular Guild rule (or rules) gets suspended. And she's happy to sign off on things for the nice people who are buying lots of her product. ('Cause she's a nice lady.) So there are (I suspect) more than just a few 'exceptions' to guild rules out there.
Ethical players, of course, won't ask her to sign off on something they [u]know[/u] to be illegal, but the Guild rules [u]aren't[/u] printed on the cards and some of them can be hard to recall -- especially if you are new to the game. Storm Wardens (i.e., GMs) who 'inherit' some of her signed off chars get to deal with the fallout in their games as best they can. But this is a by-product of the Guild situation, not a fault in the game itself.