House rule

House rules are rules applying only in a certain location or organization. Bars and pubs in which games take place frequently have house rules posted. For example, it is a house rule in United States Air Force officers' clubs that if an officer enters the club wearing headgear and is officially noticed (i.e., the bell near the bar is rung), the entering officer must buy a round of drinks for the bar.

In households, house rules are rules set by the head of the family, generally to be followed by children.

Board games

House rules are used in board games such as Monopoly. Generally these are either modifications or additions of new rules to the existing ruleset of the game, such as getting double the amount of money when landing on GO, or receiving money when landing on Free Parking.

Role-playing games

A common use of the term is in role-playing games to signify a deviation of game play from the official rules. The usage of house rules is encouraged in a number of official game materials, as a way to personalize the game. Many other games do not explicitly encourage house rules, although house rules are commonly used in casual settings. Games that are played in tournaments typically have very explicit official tournament rules that obviate the need for house rules. The anime-based RPG Mekton refers to house rules as "changing the laws of physics."

House Rules