Guess I should try that three episode rule like @the_elizabeth said.

Used to think that was a tall tale until I pulled a raccoon's entire winter stash from a crawl space.

Used to be a real stickler for the written rules myself. Figured playing it right meant following every line. Had a campaign fall apart because of that attitude. Now I see the game is just a tool for having a good time with friends. If bending a rule keeps the story moving and everyone's smiling, that's the better call. The group's mood absolutely decides if a game collects dust or gets played every week.