(The Smile of the Evil House Ruler)
Yes, Thursdays are usually Errata days. But I'm changing it up. Errata is being moved to Tuesday and the Discussion topic, now called Variant, will see its new home on Thursday.
Today, I got to thinking about House Rules due in large part to John's comment on last week's Errata. He mentioned a few of the more populare 'alternative' ways to play a game, including putting Monopoly fees in the center as an added bonus for Free Parking. In general, I tend to be a purist when it comes to the rules. I only change the official pronouncements in the rulebook if the game is absolutely broken. And even then, I usually elect to discard the game entirely rather than 'fix' it. I'm even resistant when an expansion changes rules from the original (like allowing players to build between turns in a 5-6 player Settlers game).
But, many gamers enjoy a good House Rule here or there to vary the game. But, when I arrive at someone's house and find that they've got a new rule that completely changes the game mechanics and strategy, I find it actually offensive on some level.
So, my question to you is, what's the worst offender you've experienced? My most memorable involved traveling to a new player's house to play a game of Munchkin. I was new to the group, but had played Munckin many, many times. I laid down my elf card, promptly helped somebody kill a monster for no treasure, and then leveled up. At that point, I was told that there was a House Rule that the elf's ability was not used in their games. I had given up other cards to play that elf, and had given up treasure for the level. Not cool.
What House Rules live on in infamy from your own experience? And, am I being too harsh on a beloved tradition of taking a game and making it your own?
I'm a little OCD. Now if I misunderstood a game rule, then I'll probably continue playing the old way because my brain doesn't like change (unless the old way was really hard). I can get pretty annoyed by house rules, though I abide by them. Sucks that you only found out about the Munchkin rules late.
ReplyDeleteThat happens to me occasionally. A misread of the rules has me playing wrong. When I finally realize the mistake, it's sometimes hard to change over to the correct method.
ReplyDeleteThat happens to me occasionally. A misread of the rules has me playing wrong. When I finally realize the mistake, it's sometimes hard to change over to the correct method.
ReplyDelete