Self-imposed rules in games

When we play a game, we might impose certain gameplay-related rules and restrictions on ourselves. There are several reasons why we might do this: for example, we might find the game easy to beat, so avoiding the best strategies is a good way to keep the game interesting and challenging. Another reason is immersion: there might be some item whose use "takes you out of the game", and refusing to use it will help to preserve the feeling that you're a warrior or a king or a hero, and not just a gamer. But, whatever the reason, this is the place to post things like that .

One rule I've always obeyed in RollerCoaster Tycoon is as follows: whenever I remove a tree, I replace it with an identical tree somewhere else. I don't know why I do this - the game doesn't reward you for rigid environmentalist dogma - but it's something I started doing when I first got the game as a 10-year-old, and it just became a habit .

So, what are some of yours?

I'll be the first one in this thread to mention Nuzlocke runs in Pokémon. I think everyone knows what they are by now.

I've been wanting to try a Nuzlocke. Renton said Pokémon X is great for a first Nuzlocke, especially since you get two starters. I also tried a Blue Version Nuzlocke, but I haven't finished it yet.

This page has a lot of great ideas for Pokémon game challenges in general: https://www.dragonflycave.com/fancy-a-challenge

When I was a teenager, I would never let my Pokémon faint in my games, and I would reload my save file and start a battle over if they did. If that counts