Questions tagged [house-rules]
Rule changes, additions and options proposed by players for players. This is not for officially sanctioned variations - use the [variants] tag instead.
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Taking back turns, and forgotten privileges [closed]
A generic question across most board games: once a player has taken their turn (taken their finger off the piece they are playing), should they be allowed to change their mind?
Similarly, if a player ...
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Progressive Draw 2 and Draw 4 Uno
When playing with progressive Draw 2 and Draw 4 and (say that there are 2 players playing) and
Player 1 goes out with a Draw 2
Player 2 puts down a Draw 2
Does player 1 have to pick up 4 cards?
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4
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UNO Stacking a Draw 4 Card instead of picking up 4 cards?
Need clarification on the Draw 4 rule.
- Player 1 lays down a Draw 4 Card and says the color is Red.
- Player 2 does not have a Red card but has a Draw 4 Card.
Can Player 2 lay down his Draw 4 Card ...
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37
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13
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What are some alternatives to using dice in Settlers of Catan?
In Settlers of Catan, there's a variant where instead of rolling the dice, you use a stack of 36 cards with each combination. This reduces the luck component, but has as disadvantage that you can ...
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4
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What are common contracts in Catan?
Players in my Catan groups never reneg on deals, so we have a number of common contracts. For example, we often sell each other a "Not-Hit," the right to be avoided the next time the seller gets to ...
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10
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How can I play Pandemic with 6 players?
I've recently bought Pandemic, and really liked the game. But since the basic game is only 2-4 players, I ordered the expansion "On the Brink", which brings it up to 5 players.
Is there a rules ...
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18
votes
8
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Recommended Axis & Allies alternative rules / variations?
What rule variations do you recommend for playing Axis & Allies, from ones meant to balance the game to ones that add a little spice?
Here are the variants I've played with - always looking for ...
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3
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In Axis and Allies, Can Heavy Bombers Be "Tamed"?
Most players of Axis and Allies understand intuitively that the original heavy bombers tech "unbalances" the game by being disproportionately good. My own research confirms this by valuing the two ...
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13
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How to reduce slow starts at the beginning of the game?
We recently played a game of Settlers of Catan where for the first 3 rounds none of us got any brick at all, so there was no road construction at all and it dragged a little. I'm not looking to reduce ...
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8
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Pre-drawing cards or tiles [closed]
This goes for many games where players take turns to draw cards, but I specifically wondered about Carcassonne:
Do you allow players to pre-draw tiles and look at those tiles before it's their turn? ...
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7
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What to do in long games with players who are way behind?
When our group plays longer games (6+ hours), we usually choose games where players who fall behind still have chances to recover, so all players remain interested in and engaged with the game. (...
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Does Forbidden Island usually need any rule variants for playing with 5+ people?
I don't see any reason why Forbidden Island wouldn't be able to handle 5 or maybe even 6 players with some simple variants. Does anyone have any experience with different player numbers with some ...
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7
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Is bribing off the robber a good addition to Settlers of Catan? [closed]
When I play Settlers of Catan with my family we sometimes allow bribing of the person placing the robber to not place it in a particular spot. Does anyone else play this way and if so do you find ...
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12
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Short-version of Settlers of Catan
What are some rule changes that shorten the game, and what drawbacks do those changes have?
Please limit your answers to rules changes with which you have first-hand experience!
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7
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2
answers
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What should be taken into consideration when mixing Fluxx sets?
What should be taken into consideration when mixing fluxx sets?
I played a game of Stoner and Zombie fluxx mixed the other day, and I found it super fun. It add variance to the theming, and ...
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4
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Can We Find a Middle Ground on the Russia First Turn Attack Rule In Allies and Axis?
Some (mainly Axis) players refuse to play Axis and Allies if Russia is allowed to attack on the first turn. Other (mainly Russian) players argue that Russia is unfairly hobbled if it has to play ...
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2
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Challenging Chain Wild Draw Four's
I was playing Uno, and the card was a yellow 4. As I didn't have a yellow nor a 4 in my hand. I played the draw 4 card. Now should I have been challenged, I would have won the challenge. But my ...
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13
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How do you make Settlers of Catan work well for 2 players? (Problems and play-tested solution described, alternatives requested)
The basic Settlers of Catan game is designed to work for 3-4 players (or more with 5-6 Player Extension). No 2 player variant is suggested by the rules, and for good reasons:
Trades (an exciting part ...
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49
votes
13
answers
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Munchkin as a two player game
Has anyone had any experience with playing Munchkin with 2 players? If so, what variant/house rules do you play with, and how do you feel the experience compares to 3+ player Munchkin?
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23
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Do non-random alternative methods of choosing a starting player actually WORK, and if so which?
So I've been noticing that there's a vogue in gaming recently for the starting player to be chosen by some method other than simple lot. I'm wondering if this is a good fashion, or if it's just ...
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31
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3
answers
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Is it possible to play 2-player, 2-character Arkham Horror successfully?
I've tried playing Arkham Horror with 1, 2 and 4 players. I've found that the game seems extraordinarily difficult with less than 4 characters. Simply put, you don't have enough gos to do everything. ...
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27
votes
12
answers
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Where can I find good tile layouts for Settlers of Catan?
I just bought a copy of Settlers, and noticed that there was a suggested starting layout that is included in the Almanac. I noticed it was mentioned online as well:
"new editions of the game also ...
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27
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11
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Ways to handicap in Magic the Gathering?
I play Magic the Gathering with my kids a bit. But, the games are often very one sided (in my favor) as they haven't mastered all the rules, and intricacies of game play. For most board games, I can ...
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8
answers
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Playing with less or more than 10 Kingdom card types in Dominion
In Dominion you choose 10 of the 25 Kingdom cards to play with in a given game, generally at random. Is it possible/advisable to play with less or more sets? I've considered playing with less to make ...
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9
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What extra roles have you used with Werewolves? [closed]
The standard game Werewolf, has just a few roles: Citizen, Werewolf, Witch, Cupid, Hunter, Seer, Thief. I know there are lots of other roles created.
Which roles do you use and what is the impact.
...
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19
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9
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Minimum bid rule for Monopoly auctions
Other questions have asserted that many people don't actually auction properties as instructed in the rules. Monopoly doesn't specify any rules to control the auction. I have seen auctions stretch ...
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15
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3
answers
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What are some good house rules to balance the sides in Saboteur? [closed]
My group of gaming buddies, after playing plenty of Saboteur, has found that the "good dwarves" can pretty easily win consistently once they learn which pieces are most valuable and how to best ...
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2
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Where did the "can't build next to the robber" house rule come from?
Several people I've met play Settlers of Catan with the house rule "you may not build anything that isn't a knight next to the robber". As far as I can see, it's not in the rule book.
To clarify: ...
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13
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9
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How to speed up a game of Empire Builder?
Are there any rules variants that I can use to speed up a game of Empire Builder? I love playing Empire Builder, but the fact that it takes so long tends to put off some of my friends.
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12
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2
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House Rule for Minor Improvement/Occupation distribution?
I'm in a group that regularly plays together. We love Agricola, but we tend to play the family version because we feel the minor improvements and occupations are a bit too unbalanced. Or sometimes one ...
11
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6
answers
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Good ways to speed up a game of Ticket to Ride
I just played my first game of Ticket to Ride and we loved it. Our only issue was making it a little faster. We had some small obvious ideas that wouldn't affect the gameplay much, like keep score on ...
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votes
9
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Rewards and punishments for card games
With playing a long board game you have the satisfaction of the endurance and outsmarting your opponents. It's a struggle and winning is the glory.
When you play something like poker or Uno you are ...
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5
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Does Monopoly Follow Standard Auction Procedures?
I am playing a game of Monopoly. One player lands on a property, but chooses not to buy it. I bid first. Another player bids for a higher amount. The rules state that the banker immediately gives the ...
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votes
5
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2 draw piles for convenience?
Sometimes when the table is large enough, or people don't want to reach too far, a single draw pile is split into multiple draw piles. This has always bothered me.
Does it bother anyone else? Are ...
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3
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Phantom Province Houserule
The gaming group that introduced me to Dominion plays with a houserule known as Phantom Provinces, explained as such:
After the normal condition for ending the game is reached (including running ...
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2
answers
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In Axis and Allies, could a house rule upgrading the German navy finally "balance" the 1942 game?
Because of the historical strength of the Allies, Axis and Allies is somewhat Allies favoring, despite numerous attempts to "balance" the game. I was wondering if curing the Axis' "achilles heel," the ...
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5
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How can I mitigate the luck factor of drawing destination tickets in Ticket To Ride?
I get the feeling that a big part of how well someone does in Ticket to Ride, is the drawing of their initial destination tickets, and the drawing of subsequent destination tickets, and how well they ...
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2
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How to balance Dixit?
The rules of Dixit that the game ends when the deck runs out (leaving players with full hands at the end). Every time I have played, the players have commented that this means that some players have ...
- 237
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4
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How can I make Dominion play better with 5+ players?
I just got Intrigue, and it seems cool that it opens up the game to 5 or 6 players. However, the common consensus seems to be that its possible, but not recommended. Is there anything I can do to make ...
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4
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In Star Fluxx, have you needed to change how The Computer and The Unseen Force play?
Star Fluxx has a number of cards that end up being quite powerful and can throw chaos into a game that seemed to be almost over. Most of these cards are either Actions or Surprises and can thus only ...
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Should We Eliminate or Modify the "Factory Rule" In Axis and Allies?
The better players I know don't build industrial complexes "factories" outside of their home countries. It costs 15 IPCs (five infantry) up front, and offers an uncertain return. Far better, they ...
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3
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In Euchre, Can a person of the opposing team go alone if trump was ordered up by the other team?
I ordered up trump from the dealer of the opposing team and the same person said they were going alone and asked for their partners best card. Is that legal in the euchre rules?
0
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1
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Euchre Card Game
I need clarification on an issue that I had with playing euchre.
As I ordered up, the dealer (on my right), and right after that, she said that she was going alone and asked for her partner's best ...
0
votes
1
answer
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Casual trick taking penalties for illegal plays
I want to know if there is any standard penalty for when someone breaks a rule in a trick taking game, especially failing to follow suit when required. I know the penalty would depend on the game, ...
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