TOW #13 Settlers of Catan Family Edition Game Directions

My family loves the Settlers of Catan board game and we play it a lot. This week I examined the directions for the family edition, which is slightly different than the normal version in its directions and game components. The obvious purpose of the game rules is to explain to the users how to play the game. In order to achieve this, the directions have to be straightforward, helpful, and easy to read, so delivery is very important. They also cannot be to long and complicated as this version of the game is targeted at families. The rules are organized under headings such as "Setting Up the Game", "The Turn in Detail", and "Ending the Game". These are presented in chronological order of how they occur during game play. This is the clearest way to explain the game. Important notes are in blue italics, contrasting to the black normal type, to get the reader's attention. Bullets are used to make lists to organize information more clearly for the reader. Included among the written directions are lots of pictures of the game board, all its components, and possible scenarios. These help visually illustrate how the game is played and allow the players to understand what pieces correspond with the descriptions in the written directions. Though perhaps not the primary purpose, the pictures add color and make the instructions more visually interesting, keeping the players attention and motivating them to read the directions to reach the point of understanding the game. The written directions also include possible scenarios. For example, under the heading "The Turn in Detail", the instructions state "Example: Loren rolls a '4'. Her blue city 'A' borders a fields hex marked with the number '4', so she takes two grain cards." The instructions are not just laid out but a potential scenario applying those instructions is given to help the reader understand how he or she will use the instructions to play the game. Ultimately, through strategic delivery, these game board instructions effectively achieve the goal of explaining verbally and visually how to play the game.