Yeah, check this out:
What’s that supposed to mean?
I think the worst example of slowly-introducing rules across multiple games is Christophe Boelinger’s (Archipelago) Earth Reborn. It’s a weird sci-fi post-apocalyptic tactical minis boardgame with a ton of wacky mechanics and systems, explained across ten scenarios. The hook is that after you’ve played all ten, there’s a neat random scenario-generation system that builds characters, objectives, and maps every time you play. Trouble is, I’ve never been able to get through all ten scenarios to get there- we play so infrequently and the mechanics are so wacky, we inevitably have to go back and refresh our memory just what is going on. Ah, well.
I’ve only played a few games that break out their rule sets into “starter” and “advanced” rules to get up to speed, but from what I’ve seen the advanced rules should overlay those simpler rules, so that you’re expanding the original, simpler rule sets. So they could be optional, right? Now I get that a bunch of you guys have played a lot more games than I have, and there are probably examples where the advanced rules contradict the simpler rules. Which yeah, would suck.
GMT’s Next War series comes to mind, where several systems between the basic and advanced rules are so different the scenarios are indeed not compatible (you have basic scenarios and advanced scenarios, each with its ruleset).
On top of that you have two supplementals with a bunch of optional rules (some of them restricted to specific -new- scenarios).
I agree that splitting the rules into multiple sections/modes to ease newcomers is not great.
I didn’t like it in Zeds and I groan when I see the new High Frontier splitting it up even more than the previous version - and they have dreaded ‘living’ rules as well where the designers can’t make up their minds so your book is out of date before you even take the shrink wrap off.
But having a simplified rule set works well for some games, as it makes them easier to play with the kids. Flashpoint Fire Rescue is a good example, also Formula D which is currently popular with the youngsters.
Obviously these games are a lot simpler than your GMT fare, so the rule books are smaller and easier to navigate even when split into two.
Easy rules
You guys are wrong. Easy rules are awesome.
Advanced rules
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I haven’t played Witch’s Brew, but I can imagine it’s better. Broom Service feels a bit too long and big for what it is, so it seems like it might work better in a condensed card game form.
I really enjoy Glass Road (my favorite Uwe Rosenberg game) which has a similar mechanic. You secretly choose action cards at the beginning of the round and if someone plays an action you chose, you have to play it at the time they play it. I really like thinking about the action order, how it can get screwed up, and plan around how to deal with it in both games. But it’s got a bit more meat to it so it feels like it fits the play time and table space it takes up.
The game I have found worst for pointless easy rules is Through the Ages. If I recall correctly it has a basic game (play one age, then pack up before it’s anything has happened), an advanced game (play a second age, then give up just as things are about to get going) and the expert game (aka the game).
I get that it takes a long time to play face to face, but the two shorter game modes are more like tasters so you can get a glimpse of the design without really being able to interact with it in a meaningful way. This also breaks up the flow of the written rules in a really annoying manner. (Perhaps that got improved in later versions.) Ugh.
Vlaada has a very different sensibility toward rulebooks, doesn’t he? He likes to walk you through a sample game before unveiling the full game to you (I’m thinking of Space Alert and maybe Galaxy Trucker). Not exactly what he does in TTA, but feels similar, especially for how it shapes the rulebook layout. Along with his love of in-fiction narration in the rules, it makes his rules longer and more scattered than they need to be.
The problem here is you get into huge play balance issues. In the Fall Blau scenario of Stalingrad ‘42, for example, the only side that will ever use Prepared Offensives is the Axis. If the Soviet player insists on “no optional rules” then that’s a huge balance shift toward the Russians. Many wargames list “balance effects” on their optional rules, which is a way of saying that they didn’t playtest these things so we imagine if you use this one, it will tilt towards this or that side, etc. But that’s for purely “optional rules,” which are basically a “hey try out this extra detail for historical flavor.” But “advanced rules” are generally accepted to be play tested, integral parts of the game. Heck, the S’42 playbook uses the Prepared Offensives rule in all of its examples, and doesn’t even mention “optionality.” But the rule book says I can freely choose this stuff? Why?
The Next War standard/advanced rule example that @Juan_Raigada brings up is a great one. I actually am ok with it, though, because the advanced rules are clearly designed for one reason: to add a detailed air game. And both versions have presumably been play tested. So it’s basically like we just say, “hey, you wanna fly a bunch a fiddly planes?” And we say, yeah cool or no we only have four hours it will add too much play time. And we can work it out without wondering what kind of concessions we are giving up.
I find his rulebooks unbearable. They’re the opposite of the information-dense rulebooks that I prefer and it his his terrible “sense of humour” liberally spread through every line.
The rules of e.g. Galaxy Trucker aren’t that hard, yet somehow the manual is a novel full of nonsense.
Space Alert was the same way.
What’s that awesome coop game that Tom hates where you can’t talk and only move one peon in one direction?
Dude, Magic Maze is great if you’re willing to sacrifice your friendships to the passive aggressive gods. I think it’s a really good example of Tom Chick’s thing about enjoyable frustration. It’s incredibly frustrating, but in a funny way (at least for me).
The Human Centipede?
Magic Maze is awesome. Banging the big wooden pawn on the table while glaring at your fellow player who snatches it back to bang at you because you missed something obvious is a fun time.
This is the truth.
This video review of Sabotage makes me really want the game, but I think the requirements to get it to the table will ultimately be too high. I’m smitten though:
This and the new 2.0 burgle bros both look really fun.
I appreciate Captain Sonar, but I never want to play it anymore. You need exactly 8 people (10 player is not an option; the First Officer post is a dull busy work station) on board with knowing the game. Even one new or bad player sinks their whole team. You don’t want to get mad at them, but good lord how frustrating is it when you’re stuck with a clueless sonar player (or whoever keeps track of enemy movement)?