Summary
There are a ton ofboard gamesout there that have strict rules. And some of these rules really can’t be bent or broken without the entirety of the game falling apart. But, I say, where’s the fun in that? Some rules are just meant to be broken, and breaking these rules can often make games feel more fun.
Plus, some games encourage deception and the breaking of rules in the rules themselves. So, if you’re someone who doesn’t often like playing by the rules of a tabletop game, you might want to check out these board games, where the only rules are what you’re able to get away with.
Semi-Cooperative, Semi-Not
Dead of Winter is technically a cooperative game. In this game, players take on the roles of survivors in a post-apocalyptic scenario, in which they’ll have to deal with death, disease, and flesh-eating monsters. Ultimately, there’s a single goal that the entire table is working towards in this game.
However, each individual player also has their own private goals that can threaten other players' objectives or even the main objective of the entire group. So, you’ll want to play your cards close to the chest here. Plus, this game really encourages you to bend the rules a bit and try to use your social deception skills to your advantage.
7Cheater’s Monopoly
If Regular Monopoly Wasn’t Enough
While there are plenty of ways to cheat in regular Monopoly or even bend the rules to your favor, there’s a version of this classic game that actually encourages you to break the rules: Cheater’s Monopoly. In this version of the game, you basically end up going to jail for being caught cheating, as opposed to landing on ‘Go to Jail.’
As far as cheating goes, basically anything goes! You can try to steal money from the bank, shortchange someone on rent, whatever works for you. However, if you do get caught, you’ll end up going straight to jail and actually being handcuffed to the board, which is just hilarious.
6Sheriff Of Nottingham
Hold On To Your Contraband
This game is perfect for players who like to break the rules and enforce them. Finally, some middle ground. In Sheriff of Nottingham, players take turns either roleplaying medieval merchants, or the titular Sheriff of Nottingham himself, who is trying to root out merchants who are selling contraband. This game is great for morecasual board game players.
Obviously, a huge part of this game is social deception, and trying to trick the Sheriff into thinking that you’re not selling anything illegal. But what goes around comes around in this game. So, if you’re planning on being pretty bald-faced when it comes to lying, you should expect people to be suspicious of you bending the rules later on.
5Munchkin
Old School Cheaters Rejoice
Several versions of Munchkin, but mostly older ones, had rules built into the game that allowed you to cheat. There are even some house rules that are well-known among players of this game that state that you can basically cheat in this game as much as you want, so long as nobody catches you.
There are some people who claim that you may’t really cheat in this game, as it’s not really in the rules. But, there are also cheat cards in a lot of different versions of the game, and a lot of players grew up learning that Munchkin was a game in which you’re encouraged to find loopholes. It’s somehow been a part of the game’s culture ever since, even though it’s really technically not allowed. Just don’t get caught!
4Coup
D’Etat
This is another social deception game, so yes, technically, this isn’t a game where you’re allowed to cheat or bend the rules. But, I think more than most social deception games, Coup really encourages lying directly to your friends' faces, and even employing real dastardly strategies that can almost feel like cheating.
Really, what I mean is this. In essence, Coup is a game all about seeing what you can get away with when it comes to lying. Will people really believe that you have two Contessas? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, if you’re someone who likes to push their luck and work outside of normal board game etiquette, this game can prove really fun.
3Illuminati
Become A Conspiracy Theorist
Illuminati is one of those rare strategic games that actually has references to cheating in the rulebook. Cheating also feels tonally right for this game, as Illuminati is all about conspiracy and conspiracy theories.
In the rulebook for this game, there’s a large section on cheating, although it’s technically a variant ruleset, so you might want to check with your table before employing these rules. The game itself actually suggests various ways to cheat, including, but not limited to, purposefully misreading the dice, stealing from the bank, lying about the amount of Power or Resistances your groups have, or even reading ahead in the deck.
2Cosmic Encounter
Unidentified Flying Cheater
Cosmic Encounter is a very fun galaxy-conquering board game in which various alien races must fight for domination over the known universe. Like Illuminati, this game also has variants and rules players can employ in order to cheat within the confines of the game rules themselves.
In this game, there’s a species of alien known as Filch, in which you can purposefully take cards from the deck or discard pile, but can get caught. The game itself actually encourages you to go for this, and can allow you to potentially even move the deck closer to you to make cheating easier. You also don’t have to reveal that you have this power in tow with you, which makes the cheating aspect of the game even more dastardly.
1Diplomacy
Just Like Real Politics
Technically speaking,the official rulesof Diplomacy don’t allow for cheating. However, in some circles, there is a rules variant known as ‘The Flying Dutchman,’ in which players are more actively encouraged to cheat, so long as they don’t get caught. This is similar to a lot of other entries on this list, in which the basic rule seems to be: it’s all fine as long as nobody sees you.
There is something kind of hilarious abouta super complex gamecalled Diplomacy encouraging foul play and cheating. But, there’s also something sort of delightfully metatextual about world governments backstabbing each other that really lends a certain thematic resonance to the game as a whole.
