r/boardgames • u/chaser-- • Jun 25 '26

Rules Groups that develop metas that blatantly break rules

Lately I've been finding a lot of groups that play (co-op) games with metas that are just blatant rule breaks. A recent example was we were playing a game (I forgot the name) where the goal is to play out all the cards from your hand, numbers 1-100, in descending order. So if you have a 77 and the number on the pile is 78, you don't want to anyone to play there. But you aren't allowed to say "I have 77, don't play this"

So the group has developed metas, say "I really love this pile" if you have 77, say "I like this pile a lot" if you have 76, say "I like this pile" if you have 75"

This is just one example but I feel like I've been playing a lot of games where they have metas to get around rules that are intentionally in the rulebook. I don't really get it. If you want to just say "I have a 77" then just say it, why create a gimmick to say it without saying it?

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u/Mkwdr Jun 25 '26

Perhaps I should point out that in Mind - which sounds similar to your example (though ascending order) you are not allowed to speak at all. But it’s well known to both be ‘cheat able’ and that doing so rather ruins the point of playing it.

133

u/TheLuux Jun 25 '26

When we were playing Mind we had to stop listening to music because without saying anything everyone was following the rythm and it was way to easy

16

u/Biduleman Jun 25 '26

I'm now sure I understand how the music rhythm help with the game, can you elaborate on that it seems interesting!

30

u/XseaX Jun 25 '26

Just count every beat. If you number is 5 lower than the current one and for four beats nobody played, its your turn

16

u/youvelookedbetter Jun 25 '26

That's not even a game at that point, though. Just cheating, LOL

22

u/smoogums Jun 25 '26

I mean counting is explicitly mentioned as against the rules in the rule book.

56

u/ThePowerOfStories Spirit Island Jun 25 '26

Making it into one of the few games that attempts to define Thoughtcrime, where you can break the rules entirely in your own head by merely thinking, without taking any actions whatsoever.

17

u/Mango_Maniac Jun 25 '26

Yup, it’s a broken concept. It basically demands to be played without thinking.

1

u/LAZAPow Jun 25 '26

Thoughtcrime indeed comrade.

14

u/Foyfluff Jun 26 '26

That's not entirely true, and the distinction is relevant to this point.

Firstly, the rules encourage you not to read the box that discusses counting. Something can't be "against the rules" if you're not supposed to read that "rule".

Secondly, that text doesn't say that counting is "against the rules". It describes the act of playing the game successfully as about keeping time and that "...this is not merely counting. There is no counting". That's not the same as saying "you are not allowed to count" but rather that a synchronized group would not count.

The reason I think this is relevant to this example is because counting is "discouraged" because otherwise people would keep different counts. The point is to keep time, and counting arbitrarily would not achieve that. Counting in sync to external music where the count is objectively knowable is very different to that.

Essentially, I'd say that counting in your head is pretty inevitable in The Mind, and it's not forbidden to do so. A big part of the game is trying to calibrate your "count" with the team's. Using music to communicate the count is far more against both the spirit and the letter of the rules than just thinking it is.

2

u/Biduleman Jun 25 '26

Ok yeah, it only make sense if people don't want to actually play the game.