TLDR 0:14 Tip 1: Don't over explain obvious rules. 0:31 Tip 2: Do not add superfluous information 1:18 Tip 3: Be consistent in your terminology 1:54 Tip 4: Write in the active voice (i.e. as if someone was sitting next to you and explaining) 2:20 Tip 5: When writing sentences, be direct and instructive 2:59 Tip 6: If a rule is too hard to write in words, it may be to difficult to learn in practice. Consider changing it
As a professional copy editor, I strongly support these writing tips. A lot of these tips are part of our in-house style guide because we work on a lot of instructional and informational text and we want to make it easily accessible and quick to understand.
I am interested to talk to you more and seek your help on my game instructions. I have already written them and had many other review them but a professional like yourself would be very helpful. Email me at travisfwilliams@gmail.com and we can talk more.
Your last point about cutting a rule out of the game is in fact very apt. In fact I have made a few changes to the game I have been designing based on this exact point. During initial playtests my wife was always asking me 'when' and in 'what order' she needed to do a certain thing. I ended up changing the few cards and rules regarding this for ease. If SHE had to keep asking, so would other players. Secondly I have this mechanic of 'guarding' cards which I won't go into detail here. However, it was suppose to be done at the END of your turn but my wife would always just do it when she played that specific card. I ended up changing the rule to say that you 'guard' the card straight away and it changed the flow of the game for the better. It also cut down the list of actions a player would do in order on their turn which definitely makes the game simpler to explain. Ps I enjoyed the video so I will check out more on your channel.
Would love a video on design theory. How to minimize downtime for players? Long term vs short term decision mechanics? How to include "hard choices"...
I'd look at Dead of Winter for this kind of stuff. 1. You've got a limited pool of action dice(1 per character you control), and pretty much EVERY action costs an action die or more(fighting, scavenging, barricading, etc). Meaning action time is short, and you'll often look to everyone for help and advice. Kind of like backseat driving, but actually fun-- every action is tense, characters can die really quick, and medicine isn't easy to find. 2. DoW's Crisis Contribution pool helps with the last 2. Basically, every round, you draw a crisis card, which tells you how many resource cards you have to place into the contribution pool to avert it. This has to be done by the end of the round. Fulfill the quota, and you live another day. Fail it, however, and you lose morale(basically the Team HP, if it drops to 0, it's game over). Not only that, but you also get additional detrimental effects(add 10 zombies to the colony, decrease HP, deplete food, etc.) that last for the whole round. Thing is, a lot of the time you need those resources. I need Gasoline to move around and loot without risking death-- should I REALLY give that up? Linda here is dying of frostbite. I NEED that medicine. Do I risk losing morale to keep her alive? The whole game centers around those last 2 questions, and it's a really fun time where everyone HAS to be active and cooperate if they want to win. It's a fun and rewarding experience when your hard choice turns out to be worth it. I really suggest you pick that up and try it.
I design music games and the advice here has helped me tremendously! Thanks so much! I've gotten used to teaching my games in person, with demonstrations. But, recently I've been sharing my games online, which forced me to tackle the written form of communicating the rules. Still a lot to learn!
As a software developer, the "if a rule is too hard to write, change / remove the mechanism" reminds me of "if a unit test is too hard to write, change / break-up the function".
Dear Sofia, I got here looking for tips on translating instructions in English, and just now I realise that writing and translating game rules is not an easy thing to do. I have the translation, could you please take a look and revise?
Where does the American war on the passive voice come from? The English language has used the passive for centuries in all sorts of situations without fearing that it sounds weak or confusing. In some circles an ability to phrase one’s thoughts in both forms freely indicates intelligence and a good education…
TLDR
0:14 Tip 1: Don't over explain obvious rules.
0:31 Tip 2: Do not add superfluous information
1:18 Tip 3: Be consistent in your terminology
1:54 Tip 4: Write in the active voice (i.e. as if someone was sitting next to you and explaining)
2:20 Tip 5: When writing sentences, be direct and instructive
2:59 Tip 6: If a rule is too hard to write in words, it may be to difficult to learn in practice. Consider changing it
thanks
^
THANK YOU!
my English homework was literally to write 6 tips from this video. you just saved my life man
thanks helped alot
As a professional copy editor, I strongly support these writing tips. A lot of these tips are part of our in-house style guide because we work on a lot of instructional and informational text and we want to make it easily accessible and quick to understand.
I am interested to talk to you more and seek your help on my game instructions. I have already written them and had many other review them but a professional like yourself would be very helpful. Email me at travisfwilliams@gmail.com and we can talk more.
Now English, please?
Your last point about cutting a rule out of the game is in fact very apt. In fact I have made a few changes to the game I have been designing based on this exact point. During initial playtests my wife was always asking me 'when' and in 'what order' she needed to do a certain thing. I ended up changing the few cards and rules regarding this for ease. If SHE had to keep asking, so would other players. Secondly I have this mechanic of 'guarding' cards which I won't go into detail here. However, it was suppose to be done at the END of your turn but my wife would always just do it when she played that specific card. I ended up changing the rule to say that you 'guard' the card straight away and it changed the flow of the game for the better. It also cut down the list of actions a player would do in order on their turn which definitely makes the game simpler to explain. Ps I enjoyed the video so I will check out more on your channel.
Would love a video on design theory.
How to minimize downtime for players?
Long term vs short term decision mechanics?
How to include "hard choices"...
I'd look at Dead of Winter for this kind of stuff.
1. You've got a limited pool of action dice(1 per character you control), and pretty much EVERY action costs an action die or more(fighting, scavenging, barricading, etc). Meaning action time is short, and you'll often look to everyone for help and advice. Kind of like backseat driving, but actually fun-- every action is tense, characters can die really quick, and medicine isn't easy to find.
2. DoW's Crisis Contribution pool helps with the last 2. Basically, every round, you draw a crisis card, which tells you how many resource cards you have to place into the contribution pool to avert it. This has to be done by the end of the round. Fulfill the quota, and you live another day. Fail it, however, and you lose morale(basically the Team HP, if it drops to 0, it's game over). Not only that, but you also get additional detrimental effects(add 10 zombies to the colony, decrease HP, deplete food, etc.) that last for the whole round.
Thing is, a lot of the time you need those resources.
I need Gasoline to move around and loot without risking death-- should I REALLY give that up?
Linda here is dying of frostbite. I NEED that medicine. Do I risk losing morale to keep her alive?
The whole game centers around those last 2 questions, and it's a really fun time where everyone HAS to be active and cooperate if they want to win. It's a fun and rewarding experience when your hard choice turns out to be worth it.
I really suggest you pick that up and try it.
I design music games and the advice here has helped me tremendously! Thanks so much!
I've gotten used to teaching my games in person, with demonstrations. But, recently I've been sharing my games online, which forced me to tackle the written form of communicating the rules. Still a lot to learn!
I got the same thing
Thanks. Great tip to not use words like should. I haven't thought about that previously but now that will remembered.
I’m trying a create a game where your goal is to be the first to make it to a new moon that developed around Saturn
As a software developer, the "if a rule is too hard to write, change / remove the mechanism" reminds me of "if a unit test is too hard to write, change / break-up the function".
pov: making a game about gardening
Thanks for this, Matt! Especially the last one. Tough love!
Dear Sofia, I got here looking for tips on translating instructions in English, and just now I realise that writing and translating game rules is not an easy thing to do. I have the translation, could you please take a look and revise?
Where does the American war on the passive voice come from? The English language has used the passive for centuries in all sorts of situations without fearing that it sounds weak or confusing. In some circles an ability to phrase one’s thoughts in both forms freely indicates intelligence and a good education…
3:14 - "it could be that you might have to change the rules in the game". Rule 5 just went out the window 😂
Do you have any tips on the length of a game and how to shorten it?
Thanks for this! I was doing board games for my twenty hour challenge, this helped a lot! :)
Starting on this video list. Looking forward to it! Thanks!
Need more videos and or channels like this.
What are some good examples of games with great rulebooks?
Scythe
Dominant Species
The Grizzled.
Though some of the cards in the optional expansion are not as clear as they should be.
Manhattan project.
can you show us some of the games you have made?
good lessons to learn. Thanks for the insight and escpecially the last reality check one.
Solid advice!! Thanks
This was actually really helpful, thanks!!!
Thanks Nick Foles!
love it
Thanks!
Thank you, good video.
You're welcome!
it's helping me
Glad to hear it!
i had to watch this for homework
Like, literal homework? Cool.
hi
Thanks! Subbed.
Who else is bored and wants to make a diy game?
Fuck yeah! great niche writing tips 💕
Sub
hi you are so cool
Who here is making a Grand stagey game?
Air smells nice how is it going?
@@VideovigilanteUSAlost motivation but i have made games with dice and paper and you can even research stuff in it
Hey anyone from John XXIII
I cant ruin 777 likes
Thank you.
@@onethousandxp but now i will ruin it LOL
@@howalk1505 OH NO
this vid has 420 likes XD