ARTICLE: What Did The Rulebook Teach You?

Today I watched a very interesting video in which Gil Hova and Geoff Engelstein talked about writing rulebooks. They presented a thesis that each rulebook has two purposes: it has to be tutorial to teach us how to play the game and it has to be also reference book to help us if we have any concerns and doubts later during gameplay.

For the past months I kept telling my friend Lucas, who was responsible for rulebook for Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot that he is writing the most boring set of rules I ever read to the most fun game I ever designed. We had an argument almost every day. He wrote pretty good reference book as Gil and Geoff would probably say. And he probably wrote pretty poor tutorial.

Of course it bothers me a lot. But today I’d like to go even further with Gil’s and Geoff thesis. I’d like to ask if – besides being tutorial and/or reference – rulebook can be a guide to the spirit of the game.

Let me explain:

Should the Sheriff of Nottingham rulebook tell you that you need to lie in the game to enjoy it? ‘You need to lie’ is part of the spirit of the game, not actual rules.
Should the Mall of Horror rulebook tell you that at some point you need to betray your fellow players? ‘Treason’ is part of the spirit of the game, not rules.
Should the Rampage rulebook tell you that you throw pieces and don’t give a damn about scoring? As above…

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Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot uses a mechanism known from miniatures games. You check the distance between dice to know who can shoot and sink merchants. You use a ruler to move your dice-ships on the board. You use a ruler to see if an enemy ship is in your range.

You can play by these rules and have a great fun.
You can play by these rules and have the worst experience in your board gaming life. Ever heard about miniatures games tournaments? Yeah, that kind of story.

I put a very clear rule in the game: if two players are in approximately the same distance to the object, both resolve the effect (meaning both kill him or both are killed).

That’s a kind of rule that says: Have fun. Kill merchants. Don’t you dare to use this damn ruler and/or argue about fucking millimeters.

That’s kind of rule that is a spirit rule. A rule that tells you how I want you to play.

Is there a place for such rules in the rulebooks?
Should I put a chapter telling you that Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot is about tossing dice into the box, shooting merchants and it is not about measuring distances?

I am eager to know your opinion.
I am eager to know how you play Rattle, Battle.
I am eager to know if there is a space for something like spirit in the rulebook.

-Ignacy