Arguably, a rulebook is one of the most important elements when you’re putting together your board game. It’s so important to succinctly and successfully communicate the rules of your game to the players. The faster you can get them playing the game, the better.
So what are the elements that make a great rulebook? It’s important to give your players a taste of what your game is all about. A quick summary of what actions the players will be taking, as well as the goal they’re working towards is essential to have at the beginning.
From there, it should flow logically. There’s no one perfect rulebook structure, since each game is unique. A legacy game’s rulebook is going to be drastically different from a cooperative game’s rulebook.
When I edit a rulebook, I first read for clarity and flow. Can I understand what you’re trying to communicate? Is this ambiguous and has potentially multiple different interpretations? Does each section make sense where it is? Would it be better to switch things around?
I then send my comments/edits to the designer, and often we discuss. Once changes are finalized, I then go back through and edit for grammar and spelling.
Rulebooks can definitely be difficult and frustrating to put together. I love being able to help streamline that process for our clients.
Comments