Game rules

Game rules are instructions that define legal actions, procedures, and conditions for ending a game. They structure play and determine how outcomes are decided.

Game state: A representation of all relevant conditions in a game at a particular moment. Rules specify which game states are possible and how play moves between them.
Game referee: An official who applies rules and resolves disputes during a game. Referees enforce rules when play requires an authoritative decision.
Game strategy: A plan for choosing actions to pursue objectives in a game. Rules define available actions; strategy chooses among them.
Sports officiating: The administration and enforcement of rules during organized sports competitions. Officials apply formal rules to live play and determine whether violations occurred.
Game action: A choice or operation available to a participant during a game. Rules distinguish legal actions from choices that play does not permit.
Rule interpretation: The process of determining how a rule applies to a particular situation. Written rules can leave cases that require interpretation during play.
Game convention: A customary practice followed by players that may not be formally required by rules. Conventions shape play without necessarily being part of the official rules.
Tabletop role-playing game: A game in which participants portray characters and resolve shared fictional events through rules and narration. Its rules allocate authority and determine how imagined actions resolve.
Win condition: A criterion that determines when a player or team wins a game. Rules define the goals whose completion ends play in victory.
Penalty (sport): A consequence imposed for violating a rule in a sport. Penalties give rule violations defined consequences within play.

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