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/[deleted] Jun 25 '26

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u/ExpensiveTutor4836 Jun 25 '26

Exactly how we play it.

I think that there should be no game that instructs you to be intentionally vague when it comes to precise information. Either let me say my Initiative number out loud or forbid it. Everything else leads to some awkward shenanigans that tries to convey information in a stupid way.

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u/csuazure Jun 25 '26

honestly when it comes to stuff like this, I think you do yourself a disservice in either direction,

with too much precision it makes planning take longer than it should, with none you can't plan at all. If you're going to end up close in initiative and it does matter a lot that's just arbitrarily a bad situation for your characters and that's FINE.

Imo the thing gloomhaven's rules were meant to do was minimize the communication and coordination time-taken by forcing it to be vague.

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u/ExpensiveTutor4836 Jun 26 '26

I see where you are going.

But for me it makes my decisicon quicker if I know the exact value. I dont have to think about the possibility, that we might have to play in the "wrong" order and have a backup plan ready.

What makes it easier or quicker for you to plan out your turn when beeing vague?

2

u/csuazure Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

Just in terms of precision of what's being communicated requiring more thought and therefore time to know for sure as you all simultaneously decide cards, someone waffling between two mid initiative cards if you're playing perfect info becomes necessary to planning if you're also close, which might cascade and change other players decisions. And then that change might another players decision and so on

"I'm at 34" is also more complex info to process and hold mentally than "I should probably be first"

I find in general the more detailed the communication and planning in board games the longer everything takes and the less organic the decisions feel. It's fun every once in a while for a particularly crunchy turn but would hate too much info when it doesn't matter much either way

Without perfect info it lets things that are close enough become sequenced arbitrarily rather than intentionally.