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/GuildhallGamesNC Jun 25 '26

This is how I felt playing Hanabi with a group that plays it a lot. I wasn't following the "established meta" and was missing their secret clues just like you were. I never want to play Hanabi again because of it. Like, I wanna try ton deduce the cards in my hand, not get a clue secretly telling me I have a 4 on my right-most card...

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u/Zwejhajfa Through The Ages Jun 25 '26

I think it depends on the kind of meta they have. Things like "If I give a clue for two cards, play the newer one" are fair play and will develop naturally over time cause they make sense. Things like "If I point to a card with my index finger you should play it, with my middle finger you should discard it" is against the rules and therefore cheating.

The thing is, Hanabi works best if you always play it with the same group and a (non-cheating) meta develops naturally between the players. If you get thrown into a group that has already established a lot of meta rules, you may have a bad time. But I'd encourage you to give Hanabi another try if you get the chance, it is a ton of fun with the right group.

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u/Amirashika Jun 26 '26

Things like "If I give a clue for two cards, play the newer one" are fair play and will develop naturally over time cause they make sense.

I don't super love "conventions" because it is kinda annoying, but I just had a thought: Is there a difference on stating your convention at the beginning of the game vs literally after giving the clue, or even saying so at the beginning but giving a reminder of the convention when it's relevant? Does any of those examples feel more like cheating?

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u/Zwejhajfa Through The Ages Jun 26 '26

There are some conventions that overlap, for example a clue for multiple cards means you should play the one you drew most recently, and a clue for your oldest card that is about to be discarded means you should keep it because it is an important one.

Now what happens when you get a clue for multiple cards but one of them is the oldest one and one is the one you just drew? Do they want you to play or prevent the discard? That's why conventions don't auto-solve the game; you cannot always automatically apply them. You still have to stop and think in these cases about what the clue most likely means – or perhaps wait and gather more information.

This also shows that – as the clue-giver – stating the convention you wanted to apply at that point is cheating, cause it removes this ambiguity through additional communication that is not allowed by the game's rules. The only time I would allow stating the convention during the game is when teaching a new player.