Writing the rules for your game

A good rulebook should be structured along these lines:

· Number of players, age

· Aim of the game / short description of its spirit

· Preparation

· Course of the game, i.e. actual rules

· End of the game / victory conditions

· Strategy tips (if needed)

· Game examples (if needed)

· Special rules for other numbers of players (if needed)

· Game variants (warning: do not exceed)

 

Each section must have a title. Use only short and clear statements. Don’t try to use a complex or intricate style. An image is worth more than a thousand words: using an illustration could save you a lot of words. When writing to a game publisher, anything that is not directly connected to the game (e.g. a list of all the accessories needed, technical suggestions on how to realize the game) should be clearly kept separated from the rulebook, and sent enclosed. The best choice is to list all the components needed to play right before the actual rules.

Writing rules deals with resolving a didactical problem. Your goal is to make people who don’t know the game understand its content and how to play after reading once through the rulebook. If necessary, readers should be able to explain correctly the rules to other players. Last but not least, they have to be able to identify clearly which rule or section of the manual to refer to in case any doubt arises.

 

First, write a rough draft for the rules of your game. Be sure to include all of the sections listed above in the first part of the text. Use illustrations where possible. We have been doing grammar practice as warm up activities, so use what you have learned to write concise, grammatically correct sentences.

Board Game Trivia

5 Obscure Monopoly Trivia Facts
Published Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 12:00:00 PM
 
Here's some Monopoly trivia I found that I simply had to share.

1. Based on probability, the most commonly landed on Monopoly square (not counting Jail) is Illinois Avenue. It's followed by Go, New York Avenue, B&O Railroad, Reading Railroad and Tennessee Avenue.
   
   The reasons for most of those is a mix between dice probabilities and where Chance cards send you. (When you leave jail, odds are you'll hit one of the orange properties. From there, you’re most likely to hit Illinois or B&O. And everything sends you toward Go.)
   
   
2. The least-likely square you'll land on is Mediterranean Avenue. Just above that are Baltic Avenue, Luxury Tax, Park Place and Oriental Avenue.
   
   For a lot of those, the probabilities are low because of the Go To Jail square... for example, it’s seven spots from Park Place, meaning you can’t roll a seven (the most common possible roll) and end up there. 
   
   
3. There's no such place as Marvin Gardens. There’s an area in Atlantic City called Marven Gardens.
   
   Apparently, it was misspelled on the first prototype of the game and never got fixed. 
   
   
4. In classic Monopoly (none of these new, inflation-oriented editions), the bank contains $15,140. 
   
   
5. Only two of the four railroads in the game were actually accurate when the game debuted in the 1930s. The B&O Railroad never served Atlantic City, and there's no such thing as the Short Line Railroad. (AC used to have a streetcar service called the Shore Fast Line and was served by a railroad called the Seashore Lines, so the name was probably inspired by one of those.)