Every board game rulebook is awful [pdf]
Modern board games are increasingly complex, but their rulebooks rarely match that complexity with clear, teachable writing. Commenters react to a 150‑page essay on rulebook design by sharing horror stories and rare successes, debating trade‑offs between brevity and clarity, narrative vs. reference formats, and whether rules should instead be embedded into components, videos, or “learn‑as‑you‑play” tutorials. Many conclude that the real problem often lies in game design itself and note strong parallels between good rulebooks and good software documentation.
Overall sentiment on rulebooks
- Many commenters agree most rulebooks are hard to learn from and worse as references, especially for medium/heavy games.
- Others argue there are well‑written examples and that the title overstates the problem.
- Several note that in practice they almost never learn new games from rulebooks anymore, but from YouTube “how to play” or in‑person teaching.
Complexity vs design
- A recurring view: once rules need dozens of pages, no amount of editing fully solves the learning problem; the underlying game design is a big part of the issue.
- Some prefer simple games with deep strategy; others explicitly like “crunchy” rulesets and accept complex manuals as the price of that depth.
- There’s concern that crowdfunding and “maximalist” designs encourage bloated, fiddly systems that are hard to document and teach.
Rulebook structure and best practices
- Strong support for having multiple layers of documentation:
- Quick start / “first game” walkthrough.
- Main rules for normal play.
- A “law” / reference document with precise, indexed rules and FAQ.
- Common complaints: rules introduced out of order, missing or inconsistent terminology, crucial mechanics only explained in examples or walkthrough sections, and narrative/flavor text interleaved with core rules.
- Good practices praised: clear win condition up front, diagrams and examples, player aids/cheat sheets, glossaries and indices, numbered sections for easy referencing, and rules duplicated on cards/boards where they’re needed.
Videos, playtesting, and learning styles
- People split on video vs text: some absorb rules far faster from a short demo video; others strongly prefer reading and find videos slow and imprecise.
- Several argue rulebooks themselves should be playtested with fresh players, not just the game mechanics, though others say usability tests find problems but don’t invent structural solutions.
- Many describe teaching techniques that mirror the essay’s advice: start with objective and flow, then layer in detail and strategy hints while playing.
Connections to technical writing and software docs
- The PDF is seen as a substantial technical‑writing guide disguised as a rulebook case study; some find it valuable, others are put off by its 100–150 page length.
- Multiple commenters connect its ideas to the Diataxis/“four‑types” documentation model and see strong parallels between game manuals and software documentation problems.