My mom has a number of siblings, most of whom have children. So, when we'd go to family events with that side of the family, there were some kids to play with. My father, on the other hand, was an only child. Visiting or going on a vacation with his parents and their friends was a different experience. They had one toy in their house, which was a knock-off Rubik's Cube they had gotten from Pic'N'Save. It had pastel colors on the sides rather than the usual colors. When I was pretty young - maybe 5 or 6 - we spent a few days in a cabin in the woods with my parents, my father's parents, and a couple of their friends. My younger brother came, but as he was only 3 or 4, he wasn't too interactive. My parents decided to teach me how to play Monopoly so I could play with the adults. My brother was too young to play, and we had to be careful that he didn't eat any of the houses or hotels when we weren't looking. I assumed they knew how to play Monopoly, and at 5 years old, I was not in a position to argue. Years later, when I played a computerized version of Monopoly for the first time, all kinds of strange shit happened. When I didn't buy a property, it got auctioned off to other computer players. When I landed on Free Parking, I did not get any money. After some investigation, I learned that my parents and grandparents did NOT actually know how to play Monopoly. As such, I had never learned to play Monopoly by the actual rules; rather, I had learned a completely different set of "house rules" that only loosely resembled those rules. I guess I wasn't the only one that complained, because I played a more advanced computerized Monopoly years later and they had a configuration dialog that let you turn on or off about 15 different "house rule" variants, including the "no auctions" rule and the "$500 + all fees collected" bonus on Free Parking. I guess the house rules I learned are not all that uncommon. This was not the first time I encountered house rules for games. In high school, a friend who organized our local Axis and Allies games had a creative interpretation of the movement rules that somehow permitted fighter planes to take off from the East Coast of the United States, bomb Germany, and make it to an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean all in one turn. After playing Scrabble infrequently for nearly 30 years, I recently learned I had been scoring it wrong the entire time (and at no time did anybody I play with object) - apparently, only the first person to play a tile on a bonus square gets the bonus. So, if I play WORD on a Triple Word Score, and then someone extends it to WORDS, they do not get the Triple Word bonus. FOCUS: What house rules did you learn for board games or other activities? When did you learn they were not official? What are your favorite house rules?
My cousin used to have a rule when playing tag that if you roll yourself in a ball and lay on the ground, that's base. The first time I tried this without her around, it started a slap fight with a boy who was 2 years older than me. I think tag and hide-and-seek were the only normal games we ever played. Everything else was some weird thing we made up involving kidnapping, coal mining, or idol worship.
I don't think we ever followed the rules growing up. Mostly because we were all bored to fucking tears in school. - Connect 4 became Connect 3. When confronted, argue about secret rules that don't exist. - Battleship was a game of lies and deceit. It became less about strategy and more about distracting the other guy so you could move your ships when he made a hit. - Some faggot tried to do a move called the "monkey swing" in checkers where he took all my pieces. That was the first time I ever wanted to punch someone. - Hungry, Hungry Hippos became "Smack your fist on the board hard as you can when you lose." Actually, same faggot as above. - Physical sports were the only real way to get a fair game. Fucking private school. As I've grown up people still throw temper tantrums when they lose. They'll still argue about the fucking rules too. Turning everything into a drinking game is the best idea. Nobody really loses there. Fragile male egos can maintain with beer.
In grade school, when we played football (American style, not that weak-ass soccer), we would get a 1st down upon 2 completed passes vs. 10 yards. Makes sense when you're playing 4 on 4, I guess.
We also played with the two completions rules, just because it's pretty tough to keep track of 10 yards when you're just out on the lawn. We also played with throw-offs instead of kickoffs because no one really knew how to kick. In law school we played with cones at every 20 yards, and passing one got you a first down, sometimes it would be 15 yards to a first, sometimes 5, but it averages to 10 yards, so it was a pretty decent system. What I'm really curious about though is how many of these games have universal rules no matter where you grew up. Everyone knows how to play horse, and I imagine a lot have played gotcha (the game where you have a line of people at the free throw line, two balls, and you try to make it before the person behind you, or else you're out). In flashlight tag, you have to call the person's name with the light on them, right? I assume that's the rule everyone else in every other neighborhood played with, but why? How did we organize a uniform system of kids games nation wide?
From a WDT a while back: We also added the rule that if you knock the tower over, you have to cover your eyes, pick three random pieces, and you MUST do whatever it says on it. We've also now banned picture/video taking from the game. It's gotten to the point where "Bachelor party rules" now apply.
I mentioned in a rep, but since someone else brought it up too... We played the 2 completions rule when we played in my neighborhood. However, when I played with my friends in high school we would just play midfield was a first down. If you got the ball past midfield, obviously, you would have to score in 4 plays. Also, this crazy "Gotcha" game, that's definitely called "Lightning"
I used to be pretty big into Spades when I was in high school and played in the occasional tournament with a buddy of mine. We played by the rules straight out of the Hoyle rule book for cards, which is fairly straight forward: person to the left of the dealer leads the first hand, going Nil gives 100 points, Aces are the high card, no wilds, no jokers, etc. Since joining the military, I've met a ton of guys who play Spades, but they all play some strange variation of rules that, in my opinion, takes a lot away from the game. Most guys play with 2 high (J,Q,K,A,2), which makes no fucking sense to me. The ace of spades is the highest card, period. That's why it's the fucking ace. Also, there are some people that don't allow Nil, and others that allow "Blind Nil" for 200 points... all of which is absurd. The beauty of betting zero for 100 points is that you can turn a shitty hand into a great one and the other team is forced to try and "bust" your nil. Some guys make the person with the 2 of Clubs lead the hand... um, that's a Hearts rule, idiots. Of course, I'm the sort of asshole that goes online, downloads the real rules, and presents them... but nobody cares. I've tried playing, but all of the strategy that makes Spades awesome goes right out the window. I'd rather play Euchre.
Rules exist in order to make a game as fair and fun as possible. Rules are to be followed. Rules are important, they exist for a reason. That being said, Fry Man your Monopoly story was off. Money on free parking and the choice of whether or not to do auctions are all generally accepted variations upon the rules in Monopoly.
Variations make classic games yours, so therefore I am in favor. FOCUS: In our version of UNO we play "upgrades" meaning you can play a Draw Two on a Draw Two requiring the poor sap who happens to be next to draw four or put down another Draw Two to make it six for the next one. Drawing cards can also be eluded by playing reverses or skips of the corresponding color. Also, none of this draw one card if you can't play bullshit. Draw until you can play, even if that takes half the deck. Everyone plays Monopoly a little different and that's usually fine, but some variations are too much. One style I've played was this cutthroat brand of Monopoly where all payments are dropped if you haven't collected before the next player has rolled, which is amplified by alliances and agreements leading to speed rolls and therefore unnecessary stress. It was no longer fun, and was to the point where it's more like a job than a leisure activity. I'm playing with friends and family, not terrorists. I'd rather not scream and bicker the entire game. Pass. Also, it's called knockout.
Drunk rules pool. If the ball bounces out off the bumpers inside the pocket, shot counts. The only shot you have to call and the previous rule does not apply is on the 8 ball.
We play with this rule. It's one of the reasons my family hates each other. But I always thought secret alliances were what made the game fun. My friends and I recently came up with a variation of drunk pool called slap pool. Basically, if you scratch, miss, make a retarded shot, you get slapped in the face. It's really fun at bars.
A friend and I completely redid "The Game of Life" and made it into a sick and twisted game. The ski-trip square became "Pay for Daughter's abortion" We also had life crisis squares where you would roll a die, and then spin the wheel if your number from the came up your character committed suicide, and played on as the spouse, trying to live off of a minimum payment, and whatever life insurance payment from what you purchased in the beginning. If your number didn't come up you lost 2 turns due to depression. Other fun spaces: Arrested for DUI-Lose a turn Daughter marries: spin the wheel- Even means you pay for the wedding, 5x the number that came up. Odd means she marries a black guy and you disown her and remove her from your vehicle.
I used to play street roller hockey a lot with my friends in the neighborhood. There was one guy, Steven, who was a midget who also wanted to play. There is nothing wrong with Steven wanting to play with us, but he didn't have rollerblades, and the rest of us did. I'm not sure if there is something inherently dangerous about a midget on inline skates or if his feet were fucked up, but his short, little legs made him much more agile and quicker off the line than the rest of us. Its all about short bursts of speed and tight turns, especially in a cul de sac. In close quarters, this made him one of the best people on the team and none of us thought that was fair. But ya know, we had to let him play, because what can we say? We all went to school with him and we saw him every day. We started holding secret games in the cul de sac when we knew Steven wasn't home. We didn't like bending those rules.
I'm regularly SHOCKED how many people don't know how to play 8 ball properly. APA and BCA rules are the same, there isn't any controversy, yet nobody follows them. The only time you spot the cue behind the line is a scratch on the break (which is NOT a fucking loss). A scratch should be a penalty, period, yet some people who play this weird behind-the-line rule use scratches as a matter of strategy. A scratch is ball-in-hand, just like 9 ball. You have call every shot, but if it goes in the pocket you call, it doesn't matter how it got there ("hey, you didn't call off the 2 ball!"). If you make balls on the break, you have to make ANOTHER ball to be able to call solids or stripes. If you hit my ball first, that's a foul... ball in hand. If you hit your object ball but either the cue or any other ball fails to go in a pocket or hit a rail, that's a foul... ball in hand. The real rules are the rules for a reason; they make the game much more fun and strategic.
I grew up playing spades as well. Your post does no justice to how people can sometimes murder this game. You play 2-high? Try, no 2 of clubs nor 2 of hearts. A trump order of Qs < Ks < As < 2s < 2d < little Joker < big Joker. Add a little Ace-check ( walk all of the Aces ) for + 100. King-check ( walk all of the Kings ) for + 200. Throw a few blinds in ( double up when you're 100 down. ) Making the first ten books nets you another + 100. Take solace in the ability to pass a spade when you've only got one or throw the hand in if you've got none. Get rid of the nil + 100 because making no books is for losers. Instead bidding a Boston wins you the game out right. Then realize if you really want all of this complication, play Bid Whist like an old head. I'd switch if I didn't live uptown and somebody wasn't always looking for a fourth. - Dome
No mention of the epic "manhunt" which was sort of like hide and seek, except only one person hides and the rest look?
Drunk rules for Pool: If the white is hit off the table and you catch it with one hand the person who hit it owes you a half-dozen beers. Ball up - ball down on the black. To keep the game going when you are playing someone who is a bit shit, if someone sinks the black before sinking the rest of their balls then the other player gets the opportunity to put one of their own balls down or one of the other plays balls up.