[Grinchy]

Are you that person who grabs the instructions and tells everyone that the free parking rule doesn't exist in the official ruleset of Monopoly?

Do you tell people that stacking +2 or +4 cards in Uno is against the rules?

I like house rules sometimes, but I also never seem to find a group that wants to play shit the real way.

 

[Stilton Disco]

It depends on the game and how familiar everyone is with it.

Monopoly is already a complicated game and I think everyone is familiar with it, so a few house rules to speed things along never seems to hurt proceedings. Everyone I know seems to use the free parking cash rule (although in my house rules you need to have landed on it with the roll of a 6, so it's rarer), and there's a few extras I've encountered that just alter the game for fewer or more players, or who can't devote a weekend to it.

More unusual games will usually have us stick to the rules, because we won't have played enough to know where it's lacking. If one becomes familiar, then house rules get suggested unless the game is very, VERY solid built rules wise.

The biggest place for house rules are table top war games. With 40K, Horus Heresy and the like, where there are hundreds of rules and you have to build army lists through unit point costs, plenty of things get overlooked by the official rules, or are obviously miscosted after playing them. Agreeing something is actually 10 points cheaper, has an extra wound, or can only have 1 per 1000 points in a game, just flat out helps make the game better.

Same for customisation. If rules exist for a Librarian, bikes, power spears and how force weapons work compared to power weapons, but no official rules for a Librarian on Bike with a Force Spear exist, then you can build and point up with house rules to use such a unit in game pretty easily and not break it.

 

[Grinchy]

I kinda wish everyone wasn't so desperate to speed up Monopoly, though.

Sometimes I suggest getting a game on Switch and just sitting around the table connected with 4 Switch units and having it handle all the rules and piece movements of a random game like Catan or something.

 

[Calcium]

It depends on the game, really. The more complicated and expensive the boardgame is the more likely I am to house rule something that is killing enjoyment. No sense in suffering with a poorly thought out ruleset when a few simple tweaks can smooth it over.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

if everyone agrees on the house rule(s) before beginning, who cares?

my wife and I regularly played neutered versions / easier versions of games with house rules as the kids grew. It teaches em the nuances of getting along, playing fair, and compromising with other people's sense of the rules. And we always taught them if you can't compromise and can't get along during a fun game, then you probably should find a chore to do. I've always been amazed at how spiteful and whiny my kids can be when they are ostensibly "doing something fun", but you remind them of the alternative and they cheer right up!

 

[Snes nes]

just official rules

 

[Calcium]

The on board game I will never alter or house rule to make things easier...

Fucking phenomenal game, but motherfucker is it difficult. We've never managed to beat it, but still have a blast every time it hits the table. By the time you get to Mordor everything feels so hopeless and miserable for the quest to get rid of the ring, it manages to actually capture that aspect of the book.

 

[Grinchy]

The on board game I will never alter or house rule to make things easier...

Fucking phenomenal game, but motherfucker is it difficult. We've never managed to beat it, but still have a blast every time it hits the table. By the time you get to Mordor everything feels so hopeless and miserable for the quest to get rid of the ring, it manages to actually capture that aspect of the book.

Whenever I do one of these co-op board games, my sister-in-law just pulls the "ok let's pretend I didn't roll that and it actually rolled this instead" and just cheats our way to some hollow victory every time.

 

[and 3 others]

You paint that!?

The on board game I will never alter or house rule to make things easier...

Fucking phenomenal game, but motherfucker is it difficult. We've never managed to beat it, but still have a blast every time it hits the table. By the time you get to Mordor everything feels so hopeless and miserable for the quest to get rid of the ring, it manages to actually capture that aspect of the book.

That looks and sounds badass!

 

[Arkam]

Official rules almost always. House rules tend to warp games and their balance.


If the rules are too complicated, it's not a good game.

 

[Adam Warlock]

Official rules always but games like Dark Souls I hear are basically unplayable without house rules.

 

[and 3 others]

Official rules always but games like Dark Souls I hear are basically unplayable without house rules.

"You cheated Grandma!"

 

[TaySan]

Official rules for simple games like Uno or Sorry
House rules for monopoly just to speed things up

 

[Glittertits McGee]

Depends on game and setting but generally speaking I'm fine with house rules if it makes it a more fun experience for people, though I think a good understanding of the official rules is important to start with before you start altering. (As with writing and the rules of the language in which you write -- once you know the rules you can break the rules.)

My Oma used to be a real stickler for official Scrabble rules (the Official Scrabble Dictionary was always within reach when we played), but when she remarried she relaxed. Opa didn't have the same level of education that she did and his English wasn't as good, so he really struggled with the Scrabble rules as they stood. So we ditched em and played a more gentle game, & everyone was happier (especially because it gave the rest of us a fighting chance against Oma, for once). Made Scrabble a fun family past-time, instead of an opportunity for Opa to feel less-than in the family he married into.