There are some jobs certain people shouldn't have. I shouldn't be a lot of things, but one thing I DEFINITELY should not be is a rulebook writer for games - they would each weigh 16 lbs, fall off shelves, injure innocent children, and I would be in court 9 days a week being sued. I would want to cover every concept in depth to make sure what has happened to me in my gaming life never happens to others.

I stand by what I said in my first impression - the rulebook is concise and covers the necessary mechanics well. When playing, however, using the rulebook needs to be a quick affair - find the necessary concept or term, get the definition, and get back to the game. Generally, this is accomplished by gameplay examples or a faux-playthrough included in the text, along with a helpful glossary in the back. The examples given are far from all that helpful, and the glossary has about 10 words in it.

There was one major flaw, which now that I know of it I can work around it, but if one isn't aware, it can be frustrating. The layout of the rulebook is a mess. It gets the basic flow - card structure, mechanics, turn order. The problem is that it break down concepts in a weird way. It points out the different parts of the card (the first section, card structure), but doesn't define their function fully until they come up in play (section 3, turn order). As a cover to cover read, this works fine - it doesn't overwhelm the player looking to get the basics. When trying to find something when teaching another player, however, it's a hassle to find what you need on the spot. I attempted the first game with my wife - a very intelligent woman, we play a variety of table top and card games, and she does well with all of them - and it quickly became frustrating trying to find answers to questions. We eventually called it, and decided to come back to it after we both had thoroughly read the rulebook (this will be my third time doing so).

As I've played many games, I can see the potential in this, but the rulebook needs a major overhaul. This may simply be the Canterlot Nights rulebook issue, as this is the set I have. I will be buying starters from the other sets, and comparing the books. You win this round, you inanimate object, but I'll be back........