Ruling the Roost

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Ruling the Roost

This post is about boardgame rulebooks. The following represents my opinions on the subject – the elements I consider to be necessary for a rulebook to be good, and the things that I consider to be mistakes that are commonly made in writing them. This article describes the process that I use when creating rulebooks for my own games, and my reasons for doing so. Although I cite specific examples of design elements that I agree and disagree with, I do not do so to disparage any other’s work. You may not agree with my opinions, but I welcome comments, other examples, and suggestions for improvements.

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In Living Colour

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In Living Colour

For the most part I don’t dream in colour. Oh, sometimes I can vaguely remember a splash of red or blue on infrequent occasions, but for the most part all I remember is shades of black and grey. I can’t visualize colour either, I can’t see it in my mind’s eye. I can see shapes and silhouettes (vague, grey, and indistinct though they may be), I can hold 3d objects in my mind and rotate them around, and intellectually I could tell you the colour of something I remember… but the colours are just words to me. Red is “R” “E” “D”, not RED. I understand why this means that I do not draw or paint well. I cannot capture an image in full definition in my mind so that I might reproduce it on paper.

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