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How to Write Clear Rules (and Game Design Documents)
Introduction
What you'll discover (2:47)
Introducing your teacher (2:33)
How this class works (3:05)
Anonymous voluntary entry survey
What's the purpose of written game rules
The tabletop ideal would be . . . (6:26)
The video game ideal would be . . . (2:06)
What are the objectives, what are you really trying to accomplish? (3:25)
Game Design Documents - and Alternatives (5:57)
Satisficing - your "worst enemy (2:07)
Call a Spade a Space: Write in Clear English (4:32)
Writing: put yourself in the reader's place (3:52)
The "best" way varies with your audience (2:07)
Game design documents - and problems (3:45)
Game Concepts, Treatments, and other Marketing Documents (2:42)
An exercise - write rules for a well-known classic game (3:44)
Software for Writing Rules (3:30)
Sea Kings first full set of rules 1377 words
Sea Kings fifth set of rules 2917 words
The differences between mechanics, rules, and descriptions (5:08)
Writing the rules
Rules length (and formatting) (4:40)
Tone of voice: passive/active, impersonal/personal (2:15)
Skimmers (3:18)
"Twenty dollar" words (4:19)
Britannia second edition Reference Rules
Britannia second edition Sequence of Play rules (as rewritten by Fantasy Flight)
Sequence of Play versus Reference rules (2:35)
What can you not legislate against? (6:05)
"Cheat sheets" (1:54)
Example: A one-page reference ("Quick Guide" to Britannia)
Example: One page Player's Aid for Pacific Convoy
Use of graphics in the rulebook (2:36)
Rules on the cards (3:43)
An outline for Sequence of Play rules (4:45)
Drafts, drafts, and more drafts - it's not (4:53)
Editors, editing - and developers (4:33)
Testing and improving the rules
Testing rules as you playtest the game (6:38)
People who make up their own rules without knowing it (2:14)
Blind testing (2:00)
Distributing rules before the game is published (1:58)
"Living Rules" (1:40)
What might be in the rules, other than rules?
Rules missed or misunderstood (2:01)
Examples of Play (1:28)
Example: Historical Walk-through of first two turns of Britannia
A Play-through (1:28)
Optional rules and variants (3:25)
Strategy/playing hints (2:30)
Example: Quick "How to play Britannia" MP3 audio file
Example: A text strategy aid posted online - for Britannia
Example: A strategy hint audio aid posted online - for Britannia
Learning aids that aren't in the box (that are online) (3:21)
Designer's notes (3:25)
Flowcharts? Lookup Tables? No. (2:52)
Conclusion
Rule Translations (6:20)
Pacific Convoy first full set of rules (2219 words)
Pacific Convoy sixth set of rules
Online resources (1:41)
Exit Survey
All the slides used in the course (up to 15 April 14)
Conclusion, and where to from here? (1:29)
Bonus Material
Why I wrote my "Game Design" book (8:24)
What makes my "Game Design" book unusual or unique? (4:40)
Teach online with
Testing rules as you playtest the game
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