Official Rules of Card Games ~ [ Bridge Aid ]

    The Book of Classic Board Games

Tabletop games are games played in a parlor setting, such as those played on a board or map, card games or card systems, miniatures played in a confined area, and paper-and-pencil role playing games. These games often require strategy, but they can also be games of luck, skill, or knowledge. Electricity is either minimal or absent.

The standard French 52-card playing card deck is extremely popular, as many rules have been created to take advantage of them (see "Official Rules of Card Games" above). The next most popular casual games are a set of classic board games that can be played on virtually any surface using only a few simple tokens (see "The Book of Classic Board Games" above). Here in this archive though we will only be offering rules for worthy self-contained commercial games. Please note that currently Role Playing (such as AD&D), Collectable Card (such as Magic: The Gathering), and Large-scale Miniatures (such as Warhammer 40,000) games are not being included in this game rules archive.

For a successful game play session, it is highly recommended that all players familiarize themselves with a games rules before their first play. Bear in mind though that the host always has final authority on how their game is to be played (but in exchange the host is obligated to reveal any rule variations before the game commences). This webpage exists as a helpful reference library for game rulebooks, although obviously for space this archive had to be limited to only those games we decided offered superior play value.

All tabletop games will fall into one of four player-count categories: whether they require multiple players, they play better with many players, they play better with fewer players, or if they can only be played head-to-head.

Non-fiction games have been commented with a generalized label as to their historical technology/tactics era. Many era names helpfully reference the most commonly gamed war of that period:
(low tech) --- peloponnesian war = prehistory-265bc,   roman ages = 264bc-324,   byzantine ages = 325-1065,   middle ages = 1066-1454
(medium tech) --- renaissance = 1455-1659,   revolutionary war = 1660-1816,   war with mexico = 1817-1850,   civil war = 1851-1878
(high tech) --- war with spain = 1879-1905,   great war = 1906-1929,   ww2 = 1930-1947,   korean war = 1948-1956,   cold war = 1957-2001,   gwot = 2002-today


While some of the tabletop games listed in this archive are obscure, every one included in the library has been deemed worthy. Most were purchased new through retail channels, but some of the less interesting ones were gifts or thrift store finds. Not every game will appeal to everyone (casual gamers may wish to first examine those games flagged with a greenish bar beside their cover art), so it is suggested that you click on a cover photo to read the linked BGG rating and reviews before purchasing the game for yourself. Note that if the game listed here is an "edition" of the more commonly found title, it is because in our opinion the variant played or looked noticeably better (for example: Sorry! Star Wars edition).

It is an unfortunate fact that mass-produced games, including those considered "family classics", are really not that good. Worse, the manufacturer often does not even care, and just trades on name recognition and heavy marketing to convince parents to buy them. When you see a game listed here as "attractive to players of ___", it is because we believe that most people would enjoy this game equally or better than game "___". Fortunately many rulebooks contain alternative rules, so if you start to master a game, you can make it fresh again by using an alternative rule (just make sure everyone knows that the alternate rule will be in effect). Even if the game does not come with official alternative rules, you can always invent well conceived house rules of your own (or change the surprisingly common badly functioning official rules).

One thing you will note is that the games in this archive cross all skill levels and most genres. This is because gaming is a social event, and a good host should have games available for any type of player and timeframe. This is why you will find ten minute quickies and four hour slogs, two player brain burners and multi-player laugh fests, games that fit in your pocket and games that fill an entire dining room table. Bear in mind also that even hard-core strategists might just want to play short, silly (but still good) games now an then, which is why you also see what some people regrettably dismiss as "kids" games (less than bgg weight 1.7) listed here too.

Why are there no solo player games listed here? Solo play just isn't a good fit for tabletop games, as most people play tabletop games primarily for the interpersonal interaction. Regardless though, many of the games listed here can be played solo using special rule sets, making exclusively solo games somewhat superfluous. If you want to physically play solo, a good puzzle would probably offer a better experience. If you are forced to play solo due to lack of immediate opponents, play a computerized version of the tabletop game where your opponent is the computer or someone online. Most video games of all flavors make an outstanding, recommended choice for solo (actually electronic opponent) play.