Jamey Stegmaier is a big name in the world of board games. You may know him for contributing the "Maier" to "Stonemaier Games", the company behind titles like Wingspan, Scythe, and Vantage. Recently, Stegmaier took to the Stonemaier Games blog to share his tips for making a great rulebook, alongside a list of the rulebooks that he feels are the best of all time. Let's take a look…
According to Stegmaier's article, when he designs a rulebook, he keeps a selection of key concepts in mind.
- When early playtesting begins, he starts by creating player aids, rather than a full instruction book, since the rules haven't yet been concretely worked out.
- The best rulebook size, he argues, is 180x240mm because "this is big enough for the rules, visuals, and examples, but small enough that you can keep it on the table while playing."
- He always writes in the second person, referring to the reader as "you", rather than "the player".
- He uses a template to structure the order of components in his rulebooks. This template goes, "overview & goal, components, setup, gameplay overview, detailed gameplay, other info, and end of game."
- The final page of a rule book should be reserved for "an icon guide, game flow, and/or [an] index."
As for his favorite rule books, he vouches for …
"Dungeon Lords: for its humor
Jaws of the Lion: for its tutorial
Barcelona: for its history
Galactic Cruise: for its organization
Dawn of the Zeds: for its use of multiple rulebooks
Origin Story: for its consideration for different types of players"
The last of these games, Origin Story, was developed by Stonemeir Games, and is due to release later in November.
Do you have a favorite rule book, or are you more of an auditory learner who prefers to learn to play by watching online tutorials? Share your best game learning tips in the Wargamer Discord.
If you're interested in reading more about Stonemeir Games, our list of the best strategy board games includes a few of their titles.