Game Rules Rules define game objects and define allowable actions by the players

Game Rules Consider these questions: – How do players learn the rules? – How are the rules enforced? – What kinds of rules work best in certain situations? – Are there patterns to rule sets? What can we learn from these patterns?

Game Rules Rules are generally laid out in the rules document of board and card games. The players must remember and apply the rules. Rules in digital games may be explained in the manual, or they may be designed into the program. The program applies the rules and prevents breaking the rules.

Game Rules Rules may close loopholes in a game’s system. Consider the game of Monopoly: – “Do not pass go, do not collect $200”. This rule is applied when a player is sent to jail from any spot on the board. – The rule is important because a player could make the argument that moving past “Go” entitles him to collect $200, turning a punishment into a reward.

Game Rules Too many rules may make your game unplayable. Too few rules may make your game so simple as to be unchallenging. Poorly communicated rules may confuse or alienate players. Even in digital games, where the rules are kept by the program, players need to clearly understand the rules so they do not feel cheated.

Examples of Game Rules Poker: A straight is five consecutively ranked cards; a straight flush is five consecutively ranked cards of the same suit. Chess: A player cannot move her king into check. Go: A player cannot make a move that recreates a previous situation on the board. WarCraft II: In order to create knight units, a player must have upgraded to keep and build a stable. You Don’t Know Jack: If a player answers a question incorrectly, the other players get a chance to answer.

Rules Define Objects & Concepts Games do not inherit objects from the real world; rather, they create their own objects and concepts, usually as part of the rule set. Even if the objects or concepts are familiar, they still need to be defined by the rules. Consider the Poker rule regarding the concept of a “Straight” or a Straight Flush”: – There is no “Straight” outside the realm of poker. – When you learn the rules of poker, one of the key concepts is to learn the make-up and values of certain hands.

Poker Hands A STRAIGHT refers to five cards in numerical order (3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 7, 8, 9, 10, J, for example), with the cards belonging to various suits.

Poker Hands FOUR OF A KIND refers to four cards of matching numerical value and one extra card

Poker Hands A STRAIGHT FLUSH is a straight with all cards belonging to the same suit

Poker Hands A ROYAL FLUSH contains the 10, jack, queen, king and ace of a single suit

Royal Flush Straight Flush Four of a Kind Full House Flush Straight Three of a Kind Two Pair Pair High Card LOW HAND HIGH HAND

Chess uses objects that relate to the real world, but chess simply uses the notion of King, Queen, etc. to give context to the behavior and value of the pieces. – King – Queen – Rook – Bishop – Knight – Pawn

The game pieces of Monopoly do not have separate values or inherit unique powers. The rule concerning these pieces is that they represent a single player and locate the player’s position on the game board. Players often argue over who gets what piece, but in terms of gameplay rules, it doesn’t make any difference. That’s the rule as spelled out in Monopoly.

Game Rules

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