Aibu to want to play a board game properly?

[Cindefuckingrella]

I'm frowned upon by my husband's family as I like to play a board game properly and not twat about (and when I say this, I'm not an absolute stickler, I'm lenient with the kids etc). With them it's basically anything goes, blatant cheating, making up rules, being in a strop if the other team gets something right etc and they make me feel like the fun police for not joining in on it. I just think what's the point of sitting down to play a game if you are going to cheat and not attempt to follow the rules- and it doesn't set a good example for the children either. We might as well just be mucking around doing something else. But apparently I'm the one with the problem 🤔. What's wrong with a bit of healthy competition and mental stimulation?

Swapping out the blanks is a perfectly cromulent house-rule for scrabble. It keeps the blanks in circulation and keeps options open. So long as everyone agrees at the start what rules are being played by it's not an issue.

I grew up with this rule. DH didn't. He feels so strongly that it is wrong that even when playing with my parents he will never swap in for a blank even if it's been done several times by other players. He will always consider it to be cheating.

I come across some fiendish variations of the Monopoly rules over the years.

It makes you look at people differently...

It drives me bonkers when people don't stick to the rules and then I feel bad when I point it out. But what's the point if you're not going to play properly!!

I'm just having a nostalgic moment remembering a huge row over whether 'pencil' is a derivative of 'pen' (Articulate). Ah, happy days!

I regularly go batshit when we play boardgames as the DCs are both super-competetive and will do anything to win. I'm a strictly by-the-rules-type and hate when anyone cheats to win.

I love seeing the DCs learn to enjoy board games, though, it's a lovely habit to get into.

Swapping out blanks is cheating. I'm with your DH. If he wants a proper game of scrabble ever send him this way

I'm a stickler for the rules (also ASD). I'm starting to train DD now she's 4. Every game starts with a reminder of the rules. Thankfully she likes rules too so we never have a strop because something's 'the rules'.

I even managed to get a simple game of scrabble out of her the other day, no scoring though because let's face it, making the words and getting them to 'cross' with the other words is hard enough for a 4 year old.

If you don't play by the rules then there is no point in playing.
House rules are ok, so long as everyone knows and agrees them. The problem then is that if someone always swaps out the blanks in scrabble (what madness is that?) then plays somewhere else where they don't then they can find it hard.
The only house rule we have is that swears are worth double in scrabble.

I think it does depend though.

There are games that me and dh grew up playing that our families played subtly different rules, sometimes developed in answer to a particular situation.
We tend to play by our own set of rules that suit us.

However I have been in groups where anything goes and actually we've been convulsed with laughter and it's been great fun. No one minds who wins/loses because it's just about a bit of fun.
I don't think it would be appropriate to do it with the children as they do tend to be competitive and it would end up as war! But a group of adults? It can be fun.

Our family no longer plays Monopoly after the last time. The game ended in a screaming match and a near punch-up, with all the cheating, back room deals, bank raids etc. etc. All very amusing in hindsight, but not at the time.

Either everyone plays by the rules, or no-one does. Right from the start.

I agree....rules are there for a reason! Thankfully DD, 9, agrees. and we regularly check all the rules even when they are complicated...
I have not introduced her to monopoly yet so may change my thinking then though!!

That blank rule sounds really unfair. You just get to use the blank once, otherwise the person with a blank at the beginning of the game has a huge advantage. Using your blank wisely is part of the game.

Anyone can make the switch. It's not.completely unfair since there's still no points awarded for swapping or for playing the blank.

I double checked the rules when my DH said it but it is there. We only got the game a couple of months ago after years of saying we would get it and never getting around to it.

I'm not going to argue with someone over the rules I've just recently readded. Believe it or don't. Suit yourselves. But the blank tile rule is in the rules we have here.

The new Monopoly Ultimate Banking (with the card machine) is SO much quicker - and better. And it ends when one person goes bankrupt so it doesn't carry on for days. I might even play it again tomorrow.

Nope. Play properly or not at all

Mil cheated at scrabble when we last played. Her word was "joop" in her mind pronounced "jop like Jannis Joplin". I asked what it meant. And challenged it. She wasn't happy. And proceeded to challenge all my words for the rest of the game.