Buzz
You've finished developing an exciting new game, now it's time to draft clear instructions to accompany it. Introducing a novel game to players can be challenging, considering they're unfamiliar with its mechanics. Hence, a comprehensive set of rules is crucial. Although composing these rules may consume time, ensure they encompass the game's objective, components, and gameplay mechanics.
Key Steps
Structuring Your Guidelines
Refer to instruction manuals of your favorite games for guidance. Whether you're jotting down rules on paper, a whiteboard, or printing them on a pamphlet, examining the formatting of established games can offer valuable insights and examples.
- Analyze the format of existing instructions, observing the information hierarchy and overall structure. Strive to adopt a similar approach in your own guidelines.
- Create a checklist based on sections found in other instruction manuals. You may even mimic their style if it suits your game.
Compose instructions suitable for oral delivery. When drafting the instructions for your game, envision them being read aloud. Typically, one person reads the instructions to the assembled group.
- Structure your text to match the flow of verbal explanation during gameplay. Utilize present tense, active voice, and concise language.
- Whether introducing your own game or explaining it via your rulebook, prioritize clarity and brevity.
- For instance, if your game simulates a war between two nations, you might describe the objective as follows: 'You belong to one of the warring nations. Each player assumes a role crucial for their nation’s victory. The game aims to collectively defeat the opposing nation through war, assassination of its leader, or achieving space exploration.'
- By employing simple descriptions and an active voice, you can effectively convey essential information. Players grasp the game's objective and victory conditions effortlessly.
Utilize second-person perspective. Instead of phrases like 'When a player...' or 'The player...', opt for 'When you...' wherever possible. This approach enhances clarity in conveying game rules.
- Second-person perspective aids comprehension during reading and facilitates learning for future players.
- Exceptions exist where second-person perspective might be awkward. For instance, when describing effects of certain objects or tokens, 'The player...' may be more appropriate.
- To maintain fluidity in narration, favor active voice. Rather than 'The cards are shuffled,' use 'You shuffle the cards.' This provides clear directives to players.
Ensure clarity of game terminology. Immediately define game-specific terms such as card types, actions, or pieces. Keep explanations concise, supplementing with additional details in separate sections if necessary.
- For instance, if victory involves killing the enemy leader, indicate where to find detailed instructions for this action in a separate section.
- If space permits, briefly elucidate terms before proceeding. Never introduce terms without providing explanations for new players.
- Always direct players to additional resources for further term clarification.
Crafting Your Instructions
Clarify the game concept or objective. Provide players with a preview or overview of the game's mechanics. Consider beginning with a succinct summary of the game or its fictional universe. This summary should be concise and assist players in understanding the ensuing objectives. For example, in a game centered on nation-state conflicts:
- The summary would outline the reasons behind the conflict between the two nations. Following a split within the nation, both factions are engaged in a struggle for supremacy. The game aims to secure victory for your faction in the ongoing revolution.
Sequence your instructions logically and contextually. When drafting your game instructions, ensure they follow a coherent order, guiding players through the game mechanics step by step.
- Consider starting with a brief game summary followed by an inventory of included components. Proceed to outline the objective, setup, gameplay mechanics, and roles of each piece or character. After explaining the winning conditions, delve into deeper explanations of objects, moves, or player types mentioned earlier.
- Structuring your instructions akin to a narrative facilitates comprehension. Begin with a table of contents, followed by an overview or preface outlining the game's objective. Subsequently, explain the rules and game flow in a sequential manner, akin to a story arc with a beginning, middle, and end.
- Include an early section detailing the number of players and suitable age range. Clarify setup procedures before introducing gameplay mechanics, allowing players to prepare the board beforehand. Organize subsequent sections to reflect the flow of play, addressing turns, combat, or other gameplay aspects accordingly.
Organize similar information together. Ensure your game instructions are structured for clarity and ease of understanding. Group related sections to streamline the player's comprehension.
- Present instructions in a manner that simplifies gameplay comprehension. Consolidate scoring methods and explain turns in dedicated sections.
- If discussing turn mechanics necessitates elaboration on card drawing, redirect readers to a separate section detailing card types and their functions.
Comprehensively detail each game object. This section serves as an encyclopedia, providing in-depth explanations of every game element beyond what's covered in previous sections.
- Ensure players grasp the significance of cards, pieces, units, etc., by elaborating on their roles and functions.
- Consider supplementing explanations with visual aids such as drawings or sketches to enhance understanding. Group similar objects together for clarity.
Finalizing Your Game Instructions
Review your game instructions critically. Put yourself in the shoes of a novice player and assess the clarity and comprehensibility of your instructions.
- Identify areas where the objective or mechanics may be unclear. Ensure consistent use of second-person perspective and active voice throughout.
- Note any problematic sections for revision. Your aim is to create instructions that enable players to engage with your game promptly and effortlessly.
Illustrate with examples. If your game employs a turn-based structure or similar mechanics, provide illustrative examples of a typical turn. Cover various scenarios and interactions between game elements, if feasible.
- You might require multiple examples to encompass all interactions. Use annotations to elucidate complex aspects.
- For detailed explanations, consider dedicating a separate section.
Offer strategic insights. Complex rules or setup descriptions can be daunting. To maintain player engagement, supplement your instructions with strategic tips.
- List special scenarios that may confuse players and suggest winning strategies for each. Depending on your game, this step may be concise or extensive.
- Exercise judgment to ensure clarity where needed.
Present additional content and variants. Reserve space after the main instructions to cover any unaddressed elements or alternative game variants.
- Main instructions should focus on core gameplay.
- Explain any additional elements or alternate gameplay modes in this section.
Optimize readability. Regardless of format, prioritize legibility and ease of comprehension in your instruction materials.
- Consider layout, font choice, and spacing to enhance readability. Avoid overly ornate fonts or cluttered layouts.
- Utilize bullet points and visual aids to break up text and improve clarity.
- Solicit feedback from others to identify areas for improvement and ensure clarity.
Best Practices for Writing Game Instructions
Useful Tips
-
Integrating humor can be advantageous, but it's crucial to prioritize clarity in explaining gameplay. If humor aligns with your game's tone, consider its inclusion.
-
Begin by elucidating the most familiar aspects of the game, then gradually introduce more complex concepts based on this foundation.
-
Exercise restraint when providing introductory information on terms or pieces, reserving detailed explanations for later sections. For instance, when discussing card draws at the end of a turn, direct players to additional information rather than exhaustively explaining all possibilities.
