Monday, May 15, 2006

Get a new game, download the corrections ...

When I was young, when we got a new game, we interpreted the rules as best we could, and we played it. Today, when you get a new game, the first thing you do is to download the corrections. If it's a computer game, there's bound to be a manufacturer's patch online to fix dreaded bugs. If it's a board game, apparently there will be official rules with thoughtful explanations online, interpretations, and maybe even rule changes.
I recently received a present, the fascinating board game Carcassonne, and soon learned that there has been much tinkering with the rules since my version of the game was published. What may have driven this process is how easy it is for web citizens and forums to provide feedback to the game's designers about what isn't working.
Anyway, when someone says to me, “Oh, you have Carcassonne, would you like to play a game?” My response will be, “Sure; which rule set?”

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