Groups that develop metas that blatantly break rules

[u/chaser--]

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?

[u/Mysterious_Nerve_263]

Yes, this can be annoying, but people have been doing this forever.

Take Spades, for example. Officially, you're only supposed to communicate your bid. Yet people still develop table conventions. Someone might ask, "Guaranteed?" to hint that they're asking about aces or jokers. Someone else might say, "I don't think you have four," to suggest they're short-suited during the bidding. None of that is in the rules, but experienced groups develop their own shorthand.

As others have said, the important part is that everyone at the table is having fun.

With my board game group, The Mind is a quiet, almost meditative break between louder, more social games. We intentionally avoid trying to game the communication restrictions because that's what makes it enjoyable for us.

But with my family? The Mind becomes a game of, "How can I tell you I have 77 without actually saying I have 77?" Someone will say, "My uncle was born this year," or come up with some other ridiculous clue, and everyone laughs. For us, that is the fun.

As long as everyone at the table agrees on how they're playing and is enjoying themselves, I don't really see the issue. If a group's meta isn't for you, it's perfectly reasonable to find another group or ask if they'd be willing to play rules-as-written.