Frequently Asked Questions: Definition

Clarifications or reminders about a game’s rules, assembled and displayed as a list of questions and answers.

The question and answer format has been helping us memorize for centuries. But what we now call FAQ has been an online tradition since the mid-80’s. FAQs were created to exempt seasoned users of bulletin board systems (remember these?), early forums or mailing lists from repeatedly answering basic questions asked by newcomers.

The term seems to have entered tabletop gaming through role playing and miniature gaming, whose often hairy and crunchy rules would regularly feature FAQs.

Also, when a game’s FAQ length starts approaching that of the original rules, it is a good time to consider rewriting the rules.Dan Becker

A FAQ is said to be “official” when it has been issued by the game’s designer or publisher. There are many unofficial FAQs compiled and maintained by fans, on public websites and forums.

FAQs should not be confused with living rules, even if they are similarly kept current, numbered and dated. They are not the same as errata and clarifications either, but are likely to contain some. Good FAQs are among essential playing material and player’s aids for more complex games.

FAQs for a game are primarily found on the publisher’s website or in the “Files” or “Downloads” tab of the game’s page on Boardgamegeek. Some FAQs are more developed and have their own forums or wikis.

Most FAQs are separate documents that are compiled and distributed after a game’s release. But, following the role playing and miniature games tradition, a FAQ section tends to become a regular feature in board game rulebooks. Such FAQs do not always contain frequent questions; indeed some do not even contain questions at all, but are simply rule reminders, clarifications, exceptions or edge cases loosely put together. This practice is often criticized as sloppy rulebook writing. Moreover, a dense and long FAQ is often seen as a sign that the original rule set—or even the design itself—has problems.