Today we are going to talk about Concrete vs Abtract language and why it matters when writing a rulebook.
Abstract terms refer to ideas or concepts; they have no physical referents.
How was that for reading? Vague and boring? Exactly. Now think of the word freedom. If I say I want freedom what does that mean? It could mean anything from self-employment, my own car, maybe looser pants even. This term is abstract. Now we do need abstract terms in our language, but they are bad in rulebooks. You want people to be able to understand everything you say and not have to interpret what you are actually trying to say.
A great example is this: "We all want success." This may be true, but success means different things to all of us doesn't it? I'm a mustache that wants to be successful writing about rulebooks, I have a feeling that is not your definition is it?
These are the terms you want to use in your rulebook when possible. Along with this you want to use specific terms and not general terms. For example if you use the term furniture it could refer to many different things, chairs, tables, or maybe a book shelf. If you want to refer to the table use the word table! It's amazing how often rulebooks DON'T do this for some reason. You need to use specific and concrete terms to get your ideas across effectively.
Hopefully this was helpful in your rulebook writing! If you have any comments be sure to leave them below. Until next time: Every Game Deserves A Good Rulebook.