Buffalo GameBuffs Blog

I’ll be listing your own game variants for games published by Buffalo Games here.  Variant game rules are a great way to personalize and add even more fun and replayablity to a game.  Many game variants have been around for so long that people take them for granted, just like the popular Monopoly variants of placing the bail money from jail in the center and if a player lands on free parking they get that money or even trading properties between players.

E-mail me at tim@buffalogamebuffsblog.com with your own game rule variants and feel free to leave comments about any of the variants listed here and how they worked or didn’t work for you.  If I receive alot of great variant options I’ll start individual pages or posts for particular games. 

The T-Shirt Game

1) Start with more Slogan cards :

by Diane C

taken from the full review

I’d suggest one change to the basic gameplay: There are plenty of Slogan cards in this game! So many, in fact, that starting with a hand of three seems like an unnecessary restriction of choice. So I recommend a starting hand of 5, to offer more choices. In this game, the more choices the better! The game seems to flow better when you have enough choices to feel like you have some variety, yet not too many as to cause analysis paralysis.

iMAgiNiff…

1) Campfire rules :

by Jeremy W

original source

Note from me : You can also purchase the iMAgiNiff… card game version

Many games require a few modifications for group play around a campfire.

Often, there is no flat surface to put a game board, and little to no space for big arrays of cards. There is also the very real danger that a particularly bad game will immediately suffer a fiery death.

I’m going to assume you’re familiar with the basic game and highlight the rule changes.
Here is how we play Imaginiff:
Setup:
- Pull out the box of cards and leave everything else behind.

Play:
- the player with the box of cards (the reader) selects the next card and reads the card with the person to their right as the subject. The card is read again; this time remembering to read the numbers of each answer.
- the reader counts to three and everyone holds up fingers corresponding to the answer that they picked. One point each is scored by the people who picked the most popular answer. Laughter and arguments ensue.
- The box is then passed to the next reader.

Optional:
- If someone holds up the game needlessly (hiking to the outhouse, poking around in their tent, fetching beer from a far-off campsite, etc), then a complete round can be played in their “honor” with the slacker as the the subject for all of the cards of that round.

2) Balancing elements :

by Tony R

(Tony also offers some light strategy tips here)

Cripple the Runaway: This game tends to have a runaway winner at times, so institute a rule that whomever is in first place on the board must half his/her progress on the board.

Challenge the Champ: When it is the last place person’s turn, allow that person a choice between their standard roll and the challenge space. This will keep the pack a bit closer on the board and keep things a bit more exciting.

Give Credit Where It’s Due: You’ll almost never have enough names to fill in the blanks around the board, so add in persons you know will prompt laughs. The following persons get a lot of abuse love on our boards:
George W. Bush
Donald Rumsfeld
My cat
The neighborhood gossip
My mom–sorry, Mom, but you really would try to commandeer a plane if it were going down

The first two options alone will bring new life to your game immediately.