By the Rules

One of the biggest pet peeves I have with games is when the rules are not clearly defined. That's one of the reasons I like Magic so much. It may be a complex game, but it has clearly defined rules for any situation that could come up. This removes any possibility of ambiguity.

You don't have this issue with simpler games like chess, checkers, or hearts. These games have existed for a long time with a clearly defined set of rules. You don't have to worry about situations coming up that you don't know how to handle within the rules.

This is not always the case with more complicated games. The games will have a basic set of rules that cover most situations you would come across during normal gameplay. However, there will be times when there are corner cases that aren't clearly defined in the rules. You have to use the rules that do exist and make your best judgment based on that. This can lead to problems when different players interpret he rules differently and arguments arise.

In my group of friends, I'm always the "rules guy". I'm the one who reads the rules for new games and explains them to everyone else. Also, as an amateur game designer, I look at games a little differently than most people. Whenever I read the rules to a new game, I tend to look at them with a critical eye, looking for situations that may not be covered. This allows me to come up with a solution before the problem presents itself during game play.

My goal when designing my own games is to eliminate these situations. I feel like I have the experience necessary to make sure I can. Between judging Magic tournaments and interpreting the rules for other games, I have a good basis for knowing when rules issues may arise. I'm sure I won't be perfect at it. It's impossible to know ahead of time, every situation that may arise. That's why it's important to playtest your game to hammer out any rules issues that may arise.

-Eddie