House Rules – The Great Divide

I like house rules. These unofficial modifications to the way a board game is played can be as minor as changing how one card works or setting a time limit on turns, or as major as changing the basic turn structure or victory conditions of the game. But regardless of how minor they are, I find them to be an interesting study in game design. What would happen if we changed this little rule? What about if things worked that way instead? How would strategies change, and would it break the game entirely? How fundamental is this rule to the flow of the game? At the end of the day, when I do implement my own house rules it gives me a satisfying feeling of creativity and of ownership over a game. I have contributed something unique, and part of the enjoyment I get from playing the game is directly because of the modifications I've made.

As much as I enjoy puzzling over possible house rules, however, not everyone shares this passion. A few people I know are dead set against house rules unless they are, as one friend put it, 'necessary.' But what makes a house rule 'necessary' for a game to be playable? I've usually found that if my gaming group has stumbled onto a dominating strategy or a loophole in the rules, a minor house rule can patch up the game. It prevents players from abusing the loophole or forces them to adopt new strategies, keeping the game fair and fresh. I've also adopted house rules to for players who have trouble seeing the board due to poor vision, or for younger players who will get frustrated by more complicated rules. These are all put in place to keep the game fair and enjoyable for everyone.

What about the house rules that make the game more complicated, or that are put in place just to 'spice up' the game? One could argue that these rules will make the game more enjoyable for the group, and that's certainly possible, but I find that house rules of this nature require a very specific group. Everyone at the table needs to be very familiar with the original game and needs to have played with this same group for a long time. This is especially true as these rules modifications have a tendency to compound and multiply, making the game ever more complex and daunting for anyone not part of the core group.

And that's where the problems arise; as soon as a new player is added to the mix, as an outsider, they'll see the changes to the rules as being pointless, confusing or frustrating. They won't enjoy it, no matter how much your gaming group assures them that these changes are the best thing since sliced bread. The catch, of course, is that the group will usually be so ingrained in their collection of house rules that they will refuse to play the game any other way because it's 'not as fun.' This can cause a great divide between players, isolating groups from one another, sparking heated debates about how to play, and even resulting in confusion about how the rules are actually written.

So are house rules a problem? No, they really aren't; play your games the way you like to play them. It's important to keep in mind, though, that just because a house rule works for you and your group doesn't mean it will work for every group or every new player. Their mileage, like yours, may vary.

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