In the 8 years since releasing Villages, I’ve discovered that the game’s colorful pixel art style appeals not only to nostalgic Nintendo fans like me, but also to young kids, especially if they already love Minecraft. But the many character abilities and direct combat aspects of Villages can be a lot to handle for them.

My friend Peter recently played Villages for the first time with his 4-year-old son and had this to say:

I’m thinking about designing my own alternate rules for the kids. At the mention of “If I attack your dragon, I’ll capture it” to my 4-year-old, he started instantly crying. He was distraught that he thought he was going to lose the dragon card. So in the future, I might just play in such a way that we don’t declare winners at the end, and we don’t do any attacking…We just play and build our villages and then we all say good job… At least until the kid is older and can take a little more competition.

I think this is a great idea, and we often do the same when playing with younger kids. Villages can be played without regarding most of the ability text and attack mechanics–all you really need to do is ignore the option of starting an attack as your Action phase. Collecting 3 cards of the same color and laying them down is a basic mechanic that young gamers can usually understand, and many are also capable of counting up their gold coins at the end of the round.

If young players are interested in the attack mechanics but not in having their villages destroyed, Villages: Crystal Quest may be another option for them. This expansion allows players to attack monsters in a dungeon, instead of targeting other players. In this way, it can sometimes feel like a cooperative puzzle-solving experience.

So if you’ve got young ones at your gaming table and they’re interested in Villages, give these alternate rules a try. Are there any other house rules that your family uses to make sure everyone at the table has a good time?