Hot take: playing with house rules makes games worse

Last month at a game night in Chicago, my group decided to add a 'skip a turn' penalty for talking during setup in Catan. It totally threw off the balance and ruined the flow for everyone except the guy who suggested it. Why do people insist on changing rules that have been playtested for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_susan29d ago

The "skip a turn for talking" rule in Catan sounds like a nightmare honestly. I totally get your frustration, some house rules just seem designed to annoy everyone but the person who came up with them.

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jamiew5327d ago

Oh man, my friend tried that once. Total disaster.

williamb2929d ago

Played a game last week where the host had a "no trading with the leader" rule. Made the last hour pointless. Whoever got ahead just stayed ahead. @the_susan is right about these rules backfiring. My buddy Dave once tried a "winner buys pizza" rule. Thought it would keep things friendly. Turned the whole game into a cutthroat mess. Nobody talked for two hours. Some house rules just kill the fun. Better to play the game as written.