The Art of Writing Rules

I have often wondered why a game company would post the rules online because it might tempt a cheap gamer to create the game themselves and not buy the product but then it dawned on me what a brilliant ploy it was to post the game rules on the internet!

Many gamers base their decision to buy the game on a reading of the rules but this is the worst thing you could do. You might get a general idea of what gameplay is like but you will have NO CLUE how the game actually plays until you start it up on your game night.

A recent trend in the art of writing rules has been to spice them up with humor and include colorful pictures of the gaming experience. Let's take "Galaxy Trucker" for example. What a fun rule book! You smile as you read and think to yourself , this game is going to be a blast! But when you play it it turns out to be OK but certainly not the galactic experience (Think Hans and Luke blasting asteroids) you had wished it to be. The more you play "Galaxy Trucker" the more you realize it turns out to be a PDAG. (Puzzle Disguised as Game)

The Art of Writing rules has turned into a clever marketing scheme for the purpose of moving merchandise.

This has not always been the case. take games like "Titan: the Arena", "Guerilla", and even "Tumbling Dice". These games have terrible rules or in the case of "Tumblin' Dice" nothing fancy a typed sheet. But these games are GREAT!

If you think about it it makes sense. The game designer is usually so focused on making the game GREAT that the rules are often an afterthought and a necessary chore for the product so many times rules to a great game turn out not very good.

But a game that is just OK and is not catching the world on fire needs all the help it can get to sell so a bigger effort is placed on the rule booklet in an effort to make the game seem great from READING about it! But of course reading about a game and playing it are two different things.

So, if you are looking for a good game, look for a game with badly written rules.

Interesting theory.

I'd go on to say: "Look for a game whose rules are so bad that someone has rewritten them completely. Now there's a game that's worth the effort."

And it suddenly appears. MAGIC REALM.

Now if only somebody would write better mechanics for Magic Realm.

Maybe someone should rewrite your post!

Is there an award for shittiest taste in games? I think weeks is the frontrunner.

Is there an award for shittiest taste in games? I think weeks is the frontrunner.

Awwww,is "Mr. World of Warcraft" a little grumpy because the BGG dating is not panning out? Just remember love is give and take Skeletor give up the action figures and take a woman with a few extra pounds, they have a lot of love to give especially when she has got you "down under"

I actually bought Galaxy Trucker based on one play at a game store, realizing it was perfect for lunch. I think it's a pretty fun short game and I like the puzzle aspect just fine but you do have a point, the rules are well written, same with his new game Space Alert, the rules look great. But hey, I wish all rules read that easily. I don't think it's being done for ill intent, I don't think that he's sitting at home saying "Hey I've got an O.K. game here what do I need now to rule the world... I KNOW a funny and well written rule book, that will make me rich and powerful." Seem unlikely don't you think. No one is getting rich here, at least I don't think so. The well written rule book is a good thing, I just wish they matched up with my favorite games more often.

the*mad*gamer wrote:

a little grumpy because the BGG dating is not panning out?

Hanging out at BGG again? I thought you were done with that place.

I guess thats 30 minute fillers don't take up all of your time like they use too.

Hanging out at BGG again? I thought you were done with that place.

I guess thats 30 minute fillers don't take up all of your time like they use too.

Your remark concerning "30 minute fillers" is the same kind of elitism that many fought against so hard on BGG.

In your remark you try to position yourself as a "real" gamer and belittle me for favoring shorter but just as thematic games. What you are doing in reality is what you always do and that is making an ass out of yourself.

There are many strong AT games that are really thematic and have short playing times that don't follow the Euro design scheme that so often induces "Cube Confusion".

TI3 can be played by anyone. It can be played by grandmothers. If you think that the average intelligent person can't study a rulebook and play that game you are a fool.

They can but they choose not to simply because the opportunity cost is too high. I would wager that most that voted for TI3 have not played many games with a full boat of players if any. Most simply adhere to the AT dogma that the game is a classic.

Skeletor, you don't rise to the level of deity gamer because you choose to waste 6 hours of your life on a bloated Sci-Fi game. If anything I am more of a professional gamer than you and have played many more games than you simply because I am older. But as I have said before there are no "levels" in gaming and it is your kind of "My rule book is bigger than your rulebook" mentality that scares many from entering into the hobby.

I am frankly tired of Fantasy Flight catering to your kind and wish they would beef up the Silver Line of games and pull out of the Super Niche of those big box games.

Games like "Red November" were a good start but we need much more for the hobby to really thrive.

the*mad*gamer wrote:

I am frankly tired of Fantasy Flight catering to your kind and wish they would beef up the Silver Line of games and pull out of the Super Niche of those big box games.

How is this bad for the Hobby? Are there not a ton of companies that already develop fast games, plus FFG does some fast games as well. But they are the only one making games like this. Big coffin boxes that cater to the hard core's. It's not a contest but I am thankful that at least one company recognizes that some gamers like these big games because no one else makes them quite like FFG does.

And FFG takes a lot of flack for it too.

the*mad*gamer wrote:

Hanging out at BGG again? I thought you were done with that place.

I guess thats 30 minute fillers don't take up all of your time like they use too.

Your remark concerning "30 minute fillers" is the same kind of elitism that many fought against so hard on BGG.

In your remark you try to position yourself as a "real" gamer and belittle me for favoring shorter but just as thematic games. What you are doing in reality is what you always do and that is making an ass out of yourself.

There are many strong AT games that are really thematic and have short playing times that don't follow the Euro design scheme that so often induces "Cube Confusion".

TI3 can be played by anyone. It can be played by grandmothers. If you think that the average intelligent person can't study a rulebook and play that game you are a fool.

They can but they choose not to simply because the opportunity cost is too high. I would wager that most that voted for TI3 have not played many games with a full boat of players if any. Most simply adhere to the AT dogma that the game is a classic.

Skeletor, you don't rise to the level of deity gamer because you choose to waste 6 hours of your life on a bloated Sci-Fi game. If anything I am more of a professional gamer than you and have played many more games than you simply because I am older. But as I have said before there are no "levels" in gaming and it is your kind of "My rule book is bigger than your rulebook" mentality that scares many from entering into the hobby.

I am frankly tired of Fantasy Flight catering to your kind and wish they would beef up the Silver Line of games and pull out of the Super Niche of those big box games.

Games like "Red November" were a good start but we need much more for the hobby to really thrive.

Lots of horseshit in this post. It's hometime now however so I may tackle it tommorow, if I can be stuffed.
Meanwhile you keep playing those ultra complex and super thematic 30 minute fillers, like umm, tumbling dice. I'm surprised they havn't made a holywood blockbuster out of it.

I don't want to speak on behalf of Christian Peterson but I'm guessing Fantasy Flight caters to what SELLS. A foregn concept to you apparently.

Mr Skeletor wrote:

Lots of horseshit in this post. It's hometime now however so I may tackle it tommorow, if I can be stuffed.

Take it to the Thunderdome please. This thread has been rooted enough.

Not Sure wrote:

Interesting theory.

I'd go on to say: "Look for a game whose rules are so bad that someone has rewritten them completely. Now there's a game that's worth the effort."

Return of the Heroes...

Lots of horseshit in this post. It's hometime now however so I may tackle it tommorow, if I can be stuffed.
Meanwhile you keep playing those ultra complex and super thematic 30 minute fillers, like umm, tumbling dice. I'm surprised they havn't made a holywood blockbuster out of it.

I don't want to speak on behalf of Christian Peterson but I'm guessing Fantasy Flight caters to what SELLS. A foregn concept to you apparently

You are taking my post on "Tumblin' Dice" out of context. If you will read my post I was refering to the RULES in "Tumblin Dice" being bad, for example just a typed sheet when they could have gone with models of excited players like in "Battleball".

Anyone who follows your posts has latched on to your child like strategy of taking a post out of context and then trying to Zing them. Sorry, it won't work anymore.

"Tumblin' Dice" has no theme but still a great game.

How many copies of TI3 have been sold?

How many copies of Star Wars Queens Gambit have been sold?

Post the sales figures if you wanna shut me up