House Rules

When folks get together to play the same game, they invariably invent some new rules to make things more interesting. These are mutally agreed upon modifications to the rules and are called "House Rules." A good example of this is the "Free Parking" rule in Monopoly where the Free Parking space has changed from a place where nothing happens (it's free) to a lucky jackpot where the player can get anywhere from $50 to all of the accumulated fines and fees that would normally go to the bank. Some of these house rules have become so pervasive that some folks insist that they are actually the real rules and get upset when someone tries to tell them different. This can get especially interesting when someone playing under one set of house rules finds themselves playing with a different group with their own set of house rules. Such was the case when I was growing up and playing board games with friends. The game seldom finished as the inevitable battle over whose rules were "the right ones" flared. Do you have some good house rules stories to share? Post them in the comments section!