Stopped by a board game cafe in Portland last weekend and watched a group argue over a rule for 20 minutes.

The owner finally walked over, read the rulebook aloud, and they still kept going. Has anyone else noticed some players just refuse to accept the written rules?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_sanchez815d ago

People get really attached to how they think a game should work. I've seen a group ignore the rulebook because they were sure their house rule was more balanced. It is frustrating when someone argues against what's printed, but sometimes the written rules have holes or are written poorly. I get why people push back if they feel the rule is broken or unfun. It's not always about stubbornness, sometimes they want the game to work better for their group. Letting the rulebook win isn't always the right call if it kills the fun.

the_julia15d ago

Oh man, I am WAY too familiar with this because I'm usually the one arguing. I once spent 15 minutes at a restaurant trying to convince my friends that "draw one card" actually meant you draw it AND keep it. The waiter just stood there watching us like we were a nature documentary. I had the rulebook right in my lap and I still argued because my brain was convinced I'd found a loophole. It's honestly embarrassing how much I've doubled down on wrong rules just because I felt clever in the moment. So yeah, I get the frustration from the owner's side, but I'm basically the problem person in this scenario.