Avoid these 10 common mistakes when writing board game rules

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Chapters:
3:16 - They are too long
4:18 - Too many edge case rules
4:53 - Too many variants
5:52 - Referring to something before explaining what it is
6:29 - No overview at the start explaining how to win
7:22 - Too many text formatting options
8:32 - Inconsistent use of pronouns
9:03 - Not enough helpful images
10:04 - Not enough white space
10:55 - Not writing out numbers
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[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Like my Game Designer's Oath t-shirt? I designed it! And you can have one too! Check it out on my merch shop: crowdmade.com/collections/pamwallsgamedesign/products/pamwallsgamedesign-the-game-designers-oath-2

[@singerofsongs468]

6:29 omg, the amount of times I’ve had a friend explain to me the rules of a board game only for me to ask “so uh, what are we playing for? is it like victory points or something?” Knowing the win condition is so important! It contextualizes literally all of the rest of the rules!

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yes! It should always be the first thing, otherwise nothing else will make sense.

[@saluk7419]

I'm a little divided on writing out numbers. When I use a rules document as a reference, I really prefer the numbers to be easy to find while scanning. Such as if I am looking for what the hand limit is, it's much easier to scan the page for a "5" than to find a "five" somewhere on the page. Maybe it goes against the style, but I think this is one of those cases where it's good to break the style.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yeah I don’t necessarily prefer writing the numbers out, but I have noticed every publisher I’ve worked with has changed my rules to write them out, so might as well make it easier for them! Up to you tho 🙌

[@saluk7419]

@@PamWallsGameDesign That's really surprising to me, but good to know!

[@rileymcphee9429]

The two tips I live by: 1. less is more 2. complete your draft, set it aside, and come back to it tomorrow with fresh eyes

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

I fully support these! Thanks for sharing, and for watching 🙌

[@denisgiles]

Another great video. The suggestion I work hard on is avoiding using the word IF since it means a condition needs to be checked regularly and that shouldn't be the case.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

That’s a good point, Denis! Thanks for watching 🤗

[@pikapomelo]

Jay from Off the Page did a video I believe where he hired a rules writer. Unless you are a technical writer, it seems like rule 1 is get someone who is to make your rulebook if at all possible. If not, these are great suggestions! Not just for writing, but also many for teaching. Particularly highlighting key points like how to win and explaining with visual examples. Nothing is more humbling than writing something you think is clear and seeing someone completely misunderstand it. :)

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yes it's always interesting to see people be confused by something that is super clear to us because we're so close to the game. Playtesting and having others read your rulebook are very eye opening, and needed, exercises! Thanks for watching 🙌

[@CruiseMonkeyGames]

We demo our games at a lot of cons and time is of the essence. We make a set of flashcards (laminated 8 1/2 x 11 sheets) to make it easier to explain the game. Most of our games have between 10 and 20 flashcards to explain the entire game. We then translate these into the actual rulebook. It still tends to be a bit longer because it has to answer questions that we can answer when using the flashcards. I can relate to having ADHD and leaving out really important rules that I know but forget to share with new players. we are in the process of rewriting the rules for a game that is very nearly complete so this is a timely video, thank you very much. You have been a gem to discover in the pile of rubble that is KZbin. Binge watching like you're on Netflix. 😃🐵

[@NevTheDeranged]

Thank you so much for #6 in particular, it drives me bananas when I see four different typefaces on the same page. Like, you have just created noise that my eyes will no longer parse.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yes!! It's the worst! Makes it almost unreadable at times.

[@ludwigmises]

I’ve learned that when you need to create a special rule to account for an unlikely scenario, make sure that rule is both intuitive AND is a 100% fix. I’ve gone down the trail of a “fix” that almost gets all scenarios, but leaves a tiny gap, which then requires another rule. Then I realize it’s too many twists and I need to streamline the action that created the gap in the first place.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yes, exactly! Rather than trying to slap on a bunch of bandaid solutions, you have to fix the root of the problem.

[@dr.masquesretroelixir5360]

Thanks, these are helpful. Rules are hard 😀 it’s so easy to get long winded when you want to make sure everything is explained well. Another tip is think about your audience. A simple game for kids is different than a eurogame made for adults.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yeah for sure! Kids games and party games should be way shorter (like max 4 pages) while euro games and heavier games can be longer but should still be as concise as possible.

[@anahi_naya_ledesma]

Pam, you are a savior. The Rules are one of my obsessive points when I think about a game. Thank you for recounting your experience and for giving your objective point of view.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

You are so welcome! I’m glad this was helpful for you, and thanks for watching 🤗

[@user-pz8sf8rb8i]

Writing the numbers in numbers is a huge thing. Even when your game rules are only in English the players might not be English natives. This is almost 100 % the case when I play a game. I am Finnish and most of the players I am with are also Finnish. They speak English as a second language. While they very likely know all the numbers in English it is so much easier to recognise those when written down as numbers.

[@richardscales9560]

There seem to be many rules out there that were never given blind to someone outside the designer group in part of the development process. Getting rules length is a fine art. Too short can be a pain as there can be not enough clarification (Last Light suffered from this for me). Finding the Goldilocks zone is the thing. Personal preference is not too much flavour text in rule, it just gets in the way, especially when you want to look something up mid game. Dungeon Lords had some really amusing text, but looking anything up was not easy.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yes I agree about having too much flavour text, which a lot of newer designers tend to do. It can be fun to try to build up the story, but the focus should really be on how to play the game.

[@KirkBuckendorf]

You had me at quotation marks are for quoting. I’ve been saying that for YEARS. 😂

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

It’s one of my biggest pet peeves, I see quotation marks used for emphasis everywhere!!

[@BenGuilbaud]

Super useful, thank you so much!

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching 🙌

[@khiarastales2091]

Thanks again for the tips! I feel like I need to fix the editing in my rules. Too many bolds and italics :'D

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thanks Khiara! Best of luck editing your rules, you got this 💪

[@user-fi3nu2pm4o]

I love this..Thank you so much for this helpful info. I do believe I have a great game idea and have played it for about a year now and it seems like that’s the game my friends always choose..

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

That’s always a good sign when people are asking to play it again! 🙌 Have you playtested it with strangers too?

[@williamangus7229]

great video, great ideas. sorry for the war and peace comment that is to come.... I do something that I have found helps me to be a better rulebook writer and that is do writeups of the rules for games I want to get to the table. Think about it: when you have a game that you know, and people come over who havent played, you don't read them the rulebook, you give a concise version of the important bits, and if youre smart you tell it in a way that makes logical sense and can be easier to understand and grasp. For me, I cant do that off the cuff. I will absolutely leave out stuff or jump around (I have ADHD). So every game I do a write up, which 1) forces me to learn the rules and 2) forces me to ask how can I explain this simpler than the designer did. Which is not to say Im better than or smarter than them, but every rulebook has bloat like you talk about in your video. Being able to read from a script absolutely helps me to understand the game better myself and helps me explain it better. A big beef is that when a game doesn't tell me the why Im doing something. Youre collecting these bits and bobs. Right but what does that do? Why do I care about doing this? and sometimes its explained later in the rulebook, sometimes not at all. I can pull things from the middle and end that are relevant to earlier parts in a way that's more cohesive and makes more narrative sense. Doing this helps me write better rulebooks because I can better analyze and say "how can I explain this more clearly or with fewer words." and it believe me, I have some thoughts on IKEA and other assemble at home furniture as well!

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

That is a great idea! Getting good at quickly and clearly explaining how to play existing games will definitely help designers explain their own games. I hadn’t thought about it like that before! Thanks for the thoughtful comment and for watching 🙌

[@Sanderus]

5th point you mentioned is very important to me as a board game player and constant "reader" of rulebooks. I developed an allergy to rulebooks which explain how the game plays, what actions the players can take and what not, but do not tell what's the point of all of this :D As to 1st point you mentioned - in principle I would agree - I have read rulebooks which overexplain, by reapeating the same info time and time again. That said, this does not bother me as much as the opposite scenario. Regretfully I have also encountered rulebooks whose writers apparently wanted to write a short rulebook rather than a good rulebook, including a case where the designer of the game (and props to him) a day or two after the game was published self released a video explaining the rules.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yes too short can also be a problem! But that happens far less often than the rules being too long. And yes I am currently judging a bunch of cardboard edison award games and *so many* of them don’t say what the win condition is until the verrrrrry end. Super frustrating!

[@ZyliahWar]

This list is, for the most part, a lesson in better use of English. I say this because it's essentially what I teach my English students. In college. What I'm trying to say is this video makes me **so happyyyyyyyyyyy**

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yay!! I’m glad you appreciate it 😆 🤗

[@greigashfield4714]

Time to write rules for a board game. What should I do first? Let's watch Pam's video on what not to do! :)

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

😆 you got this 💪 ✍️

[@jamesbrazeal3847]

100th like, i do enjoy these insights.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thanks so much, James! 💯

[@tonyallen4265]

Your videos are so good and helpful. My rules are surely a mess. Too much text for sure. Time to get more graphics in them and more white space. It'll probably double the quantity of pages though.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thanks Tony! And if you add helpful images, you hopefully won't need so much text! Thanks for watching 🙌

[@ZacharyStrebeck]

This is great!

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Ah thanks so much Zachary! I hope you are doing well 🤗

[@lodepublishing]

With some rulebooks, the images used are from an earlier version. To prevent that, my generated card images are in the same folders as my rulebook and I dynamically create composite images from those cards. It even can draw numbers above the cards. (using nandeck and LaTeX).

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Wow! Very cool! I’ve heard Nandeck is a very powerful tool but a bit non intuitive to learn so I haven’t tried it yet. Might have to jump in and give it a go.

[@lodepublishing]

@@PamWallsGameDesign That would work with any tool, though (e.g. InDesign). The challenge is to have a publishing program that can take those card images and inserts them with the right rotation/transparency/numbering/size into the text. I think only LaTeX can do that without any additional manual work involved.

[@Slurgical_3D_Terrain_Channel]

THank you, I’m in the middle of writing the basic rules for my game.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

You're welcome, and best of luck! I made a video recently about tips for writing rules if that interests you, fyi.

[@Slurgical_3D_Terrain_Channel]

@@PamWallsGameDesign yes it interest me as I am new to this.thank you for doing that.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

@@Slurgical_3D_Terrain_Channel Oh whoops, I realize I am talking about the video you already commented on lollll Don't mind me haha

[@Slurgical_3D_Terrain_Channel]

@@PamWallsGameDesign talking with gamers playing Star Wars Legion and ShatterPoint, everyone wants Tattoiine, and other Star Wars places but there are no real official terrain. So some maker make that terrain and post it for free while others sells it. The demand is out there, I blame the official maker of the games for not providing that. So they might be licensed. I haven’t checked their site for a while. I refuse to copy directly to IP, it feels wrong to me. Some of the terrain I make, I add a flare to it, making it feel like it could be in the Star Wars universe, but not screen to print and sell. There are tons of creators that give for free screen to print on your own. I think thats fair since there is no way to get it otherwise. If I were to copy something from an IP I will first make sure there is no official release of it and second I will not sell the design. I might use the paint scheme of a place to say its on that planet for example. I don’t think that would be wrong to do. There are plenty of desert settings or forested areas.

[@mickauls_]

Video begins at 2:33. Rule 1 came ironically.

[@ParlorPunch]

I'm looking at your membership. How does playtesting work? 🤔 (TTS ok?, time of day, day of week, general expectation, do we get to test other designers' games? ...) This was another great Pam video, so clear and friendly and so full of all the stuff i keep doing for some reason😜. Thank you👏👏👏

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

We meet every Sunday at 11 am Pacific (so in 1 hour! If you join quick, you could join the playtesting session today! We are testing Ray’s game today). We meet in the members only discord voice channel and then use whatever program the designer wants to use (Tabletopia, tts or just showing the physical prototype and talking about it or moving pieces for the players). We have a google doc sign up sheet where you can sign up as a playtester for other designers’ games or sign up to test your own game! Let me know if you have any other questions and thanks for watching :)

[@travisbuschette8609]

Great tips! I feel like there could easily be a part two to this haha! I agree with you on the pronoun part. I like to use player because it is always separate from the characters in the game. Using he/she/they, you could be referencing either a player or character, so it's good to just drop pronouns and avoid any confusion

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

I agree 100%! And yes this list could keep going and going…..

[@jacksmith8299]

Useful tips! First video of yours I’ve found. Can I recommend buying a pop filter? The audio is a little jarring.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yeah I know, it’s some issue with the snowball and obs making it crackle. I bought a new cable and that didn’t solve it, and disabled all other audio sources in obs and that also didn’t fix it, so currently looking at other mics like the blue yeti, but it’s another blue product so I’m a bit worried it’ll also have issues with obs like the blue snowball did. But yeah, will hopefully get a better mic soon! Thanks for watching 🙌

[@kendowarrior99]

After getting a new iteration of my Wild West eurogame prototyped in December I got stuck on revising the rules for the game end condition. It was too fundamental of an issue to move ahead with polishing my rulebook to submit for Cardboard Edison, but my rules are definitely the next thing I really need to focus on since I want to start blind playtesting soon.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yes having very clear rules is so important before running an unguided playtest! Best of luck with it and thanks for watching 🙌

[@Drubnubjagr]

Could you review the ASL rulebook from MMP? it's my favourite game and the rule book is very definitive and precise but not very welcoming to new players

[@saluk7419]

I often choose to play a game with no variants or expansions over one that has those, because choosing what to play is already hard enough!

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Agreed!!!

[@HealingAuraKiperman]

What software do you use to create and edit your rules file? I used GIMP for one rulebook (it used an image as a background) and it was not a pleasant experience.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

I just use Google docs! And Google Draw to make my images and then import them into the google doc.

[@dago6410]

If you spell out the number i will find you and i will switch all your games with copies of monopoly as a punishment. 3 is a Concerto we all understand. Three is a woed we newd to parse into a symbol of 3 to be able to understand it. Its as "clear" as writing a large number in roman numerals, we all know MMCIII is "two thousand one hundred and three" is 2103, but which one is easier to read?

[@lodepublishing]

Oups, my current game has twenty pages... but it's ten pages of background/table of contents, quickstart, index, glossary, optional rules, additional examples, and a contents overview... need to print and blind test them with someone :)

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yes it would be good to see if all that extra info makes it easier or more overwhelming for the reader! If it’s a heavier and more complex game, then it could be justified. The game I mention in the video is supposed to be lightweight so definitely shouldn’t be 20 pages!

[@darbyl3872]

#0 (highest) No clarifications or FAQs. Most rulebooks are faulty or incomplete. (I repeat, most leave questions unanswered, or have outright errors / confusing text.) There's no way to send every purchaser a follow-up change to a mistake or omission. The closest thing is a supplemental FAQ thrown into the box last minute, which no one does, or at least adding it to the rulebook. If there is one thing that makes this hobby frustrating / infuriating, it's yet another rulebook that was not thoroughly vetted by strangers to the game, preferably strangers to similar board games, that have intelligence, but not a lot of preconceived notions of the terminology or gameplay.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yes, it’s definitely good to have as many different people proofread the rules as much as possible, but small errors or oversights are almost inevitable. But I agree that major oversights or mistakes should be avoided at all costs.

[@joeyvigil]

Very good points

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thanks so much Joey! 🙌