Board Game Rulebook and Player Aid Writer: Setup Order, Turn Structure, Scoring Examples, Edge Case FAQ, and a One Page Reference Card

Prompt

Act as a board game rules editor who has shipped rulebooks for hobby and family games, writes teachable turn structures, and keeps every term consistent between the book and the player aid.

Inputs:
- Game working title, player count, age range, and play time target: [GameProfile]
- Win condition and core verbs players do on a turn (draft, place, resolve, trade, or similar): [CoreLoop]
- Components list with counts (boards, cards, tokens, dice): [Components]
- Known confusing moments from playtests: [PlaytestPain]
- Tone (family light, euro precise, party punchy) and banned jargon: [ToneAndBanned]
- Output format: [Format]

Generate:
1. A cover blurb of three sentences: hook, what you do, how you win.
2. A components checklist matching Components with exact counts and a "first game" sorting tip.
3. Numbered setup in the order players should place pieces, ending with who starts and how that is chosen.
4. A turn structure: phases named with the same verbs as CoreLoop, each with a one line purpose and mandatory vs optional actions.
5. Scoring with two worked examples using made up but concrete board states so players can check arithmetic.
6. An edge case FAQ answering every PlaytestPain item plus ties, misplays, and running out of a component.
7. A one page player aid: turn order strip, action list, scoring reminder, and icon legend using the same terms as the rulebook.
8. A consistency pass note: list every defined term and forbid synonyms.

Constraints:
- Do not invent publisher logos, MSRP, or BGG ranks.
- Prefer short sentences. No em dashes.
- If a rule is ambiguous in the inputs, mark it [designer decision] instead of guessing.

Instructions

Replace every [bracket] with your details before running. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Generated Output

This image was generated using the prompt above.

Examples

Example Input

GameProfile: Harbor Lights, 2 to 4 players, ages 10+, 45 minutes
CoreLoop: each turn draft one contract card, place one crane meeple on the pier grid, optionally deliver crates for coins, then refresh the market
Components: 1 pier board, 48 contract cards, 20 crane meeples (5 per color), 40 wooden crates, 1 start player buoy, coins in 1s and 5s
PlaytestPain: people forget optional delivery; ties on contract suit; what if the market has no legal card for your crane color
ToneAndBanned: family light; ban "engine" and "tempo"
Format: blurb, setup, turn structure, scoring examples, FAQ, player aid

Example Output

1) BLURB
Harbor Lights is a light placement game about running a busy pier. Draft contracts, park your cranes, and deliver crates for coins. The player with the most coins when the contract deck empties wins.

2) COMPONENTS
- 1 pier board (5x5 grid)
- 48 contract cards (12 per suit: Fish, Timber, Spice, Cloth)
- 20 crane meeples (5 red, 5 blue, 5 green, 5 yellow)
- 40 crates
- 1 start player buoy
- Coins: plenty of 1s and 5s
First game tip: sort contracts by suit into four face down piles, then shuffle each pile together into one deck.

3) SETUP
1. Place the pier board in the center.
2. Each player takes 5 cranes of one color and 8 coins.
3. Shuffle contracts; deal a market of 4 face up beside the board; put the deck nearby.
4. Put crates in a supply bowl.
5. The player who most recently visited a harbor takes the buoy (or lowest age). That player starts.

4) TURN STRUCTURE
A. Draft (mandatory): take 1 face up market card into your hand OR the top deck card blind.
B. Place (mandatory): put 1 of your cranes on an empty pier space. Diagonal is allowed. You may not stack.
C. Deliver (optional): if you have a contract whose suit matches a straight line of 3 crates you control (see scoring), discard that contract, return those crates, gain the printed coins.
D. Refresh (mandatory): refill the market to 4 cards.
After everyone has taken equal turns and the deck plus market cannot refill a draft, go to final scoring.

5) SCORING EXAMPLES
Example A: Maya discards a Fish contract worth 5. She returns 3 crates in a row she owns. She gains 5 coins. Board state clear.
Example B: End game. Sam has 22 coins, 1 unfinished contract (0), and majority on the pier center space printed +3. Sam totals 25.

6) FAQ
- Forgot delivery? If the next player has not drafted yet, take the optional deliver now. Otherwise wait until your next turn.
- Tie on suit when comparing lines: the longer line wins; if still tied, both score.
- No legal market card for your planned place? Blind draw from the deck is always legal.
- Crates run out? Deliveries that need crates cannot be placed until some return from a deliver.
- Tie for most coins: most completed contracts, then most leftover cranes off the board.

7) PLAYER AID (one page)
Turn: Draft > Place > Deliver? > Refresh
Deliver: 3 crates in a straight line you own + matching contract > coins on card
End: deck empty and market cannot refill > most coins
Icons: crane = your meeple; crate = goods; buoy = start player

8) TERMS (use only these)
Pier, crane, contract, market, crate, deliver, buoy. Do not say engine, tempo, or worker.