Rule Referee: board game rules, answered at the table
Rule Referee is a board game rules app for iPhone, iPad, and Android. It answers rules questions for 79 board games and card games in plain language, straight from the official rulebook. And it runs without generative AI.
AI... not included.
- Tap the game you're playing and ask Tally in your own words.
- Get one clear, playable answer from the official rulebook.
- Same question, same answer, every time. Even offline.
- Free to download, no ads. Play 5 games free, or unlock all 79 for $2.99 a month.
AI... not included
This is the part I care about most. There's no chatbot writing a guess and hoping it sounds right. Tally uses a deterministic NLP retrieval engine over official rulebooks, FAQs, and publisher rulings that live inside the app. Ask the same question twice and you get the same answer twice.
No AI guesswork
Answers come from the rulebook, not a model.
Same answer every time
A fixed lookup, not a fresh guess.
Works offline
The rules live on your device, WiFi or not.
Why board game rules are so hard to look up mid-game
Every board game comes with a rulebook. And every rulebook ends up face down on the table while someone argues about what "adjacent" means.
The rules are all there. They're just written for people who already know how to play. Kids ask in their own words, parents paraphrase, and the rulebook sits there organized by section number.
The rules were in the book, but not in the moment.
Ask a question, get one answer, keep playing
Ask a board game rules question in plain language and get one reliable answer you can play from, in a few seconds, right at the table.
- 1
Ask in your own words
You don't need the official terms. Ask the way you'd ask a friend who knows the game.
- 2
Get an answer, not a paragraph
Short, specific, and written at about a 5th grade reading level, so anyone at the table can follow it.
- 3
Keep playing
No flipping pages. No pausing the game. No debate. Just the answer, and back to your turn.
Every game gets hundreds of questions before you ever ask one
Each game in Rule Referee is tested against 400 to 650 real rules questions before it goes live, from the basics to the edge cases people actually argue about. Then I spot-check the answers myself.
- 79
- games in the library, with 100+ more on the way
- 400 to 650
- real rules questions tested per game
- 5th grade
- reading level, so kids can read the answers too
- 0
- ads, accounts, or AI services
Built for the whole family
Rule Referee doesn't browse the internet and doesn't connect to outside AI services. Every answer comes from the game rules stored inside the app.
That means no unexpected content, no outside information, no wandering answers, and no internet conversations. It only explains the rules of the game you picked.
I would rather build something that pauses than something that pretends.
How Rule Referee is different from an AI rules chatbot
A lot of rules apps lean on AI and let it improvise. Rule Referee does the opposite. Every answer is written ahead of time from the official rulebook, its FAQs, and publisher rulings, then matched to your question by a deterministic NLP retrieval engine. The wording is plain language, but the rules, terms, limits, and rulings stay exactly as the publisher wrote them.
- Can I go again?
- What if they only have one?
- Do I have to show this card?
- When does my turn end?
- What if we both win?
Those are the questions people actually ask at the table. Each one gets a straight answer.
Built with the studios behind the games
Some games in Rule Referee ship with their publisher's cooperation. Here's who's in the app today.
Monsters, Magic, and Mayhem
A fast strategy card game with a lot going on in combat. Rule Referee ships with the full rulebook so families can learn it without flipping pages, plus a built-in card strength calculator.
Chess
Chess explained in plain language, built in partnership with Chess4Life. If you're new to chess, this is a good place to start.
More games and partners on the way. See how partnering works
79 games, and counting
Family classics, card games, party games, and heavier strategy games. If it's in the app, the official rules are in there with it.
- Monopoly
- Uno
- Chess
- Catan
- Wingspan
- Ticket to Ride
- Yahtzee
- Sorry!
- Trouble
- Sushi Go!
- Codenames
- Phase 10
- Rummikub
- Skip-Bo
- Pandemic
- Clue
What people ask before downloading
The app
What is Rule Referee?
Rule Referee is a board game rules app for iPhone, iPad, and Android. You tap the game you're playing, ask Tally your question in your own words, and get a clear, playable answer from the official rulebook. It covers 79 board games and card games today, with more added every month.
Who made Rule Referee?
Rule Referee was built by Autumn Wohlwend, founder of 4Seasons By Autumn, an indie studio based in Panama. That's me! I started it because I got tired of game night stalling over the same rules arguments.
What is Tally?
Tally is the rules helper inside Rule Referee. You type or tap a question in your own words, and Tally hands back a short, plain-language answer for the game you're playing. Tally isn't a chatbot and doesn't make anything up.
Which board games are supported?
79 games right now, including Monopoly, Uno, Chess, Catan, Wingspan, Ticket to Ride, Yahtzee, Sorry!, Trouble, Sushi Go!, Codenames, Phase 10, Rummikub, Skip-Bo, Pandemic, and Clue. Chess is built in partnership with Chess4Life, and Monsters, Magic, and Mayhem comes from Dreadnaught Publishing with a built-in card strength calculator. The full list is on the games page.
Does it have Monopoly, Uno, and chess rules?
Yes, all three. Monopoly covers the four rules almost everyone plays wrong (Free Parking, auctions, jail, and mortgages). Uno covers stacking and calling Uno. Chess covers castling, en passant, promotion, and stalemate.
How fast is a rules lookup?
A few seconds. Open the app, tap your game, ask your question, and read the answer out loud. Nobody has to leave the table or scroll through a PDF while everyone waits.
How do I request a game?
You can request a game right in the app, or email me at autumn@4seasonsbyautumn.com and tell me what you're playing. Requests really do shape what gets added next.
Accuracy and AI
Does Rule Referee use generative AI?
No, and that's the whole point. AI... not included. Rule Referee doesn't use generative AI and doesn't call any outside AI service. Answers are written ahead of time from the official rulebook and stored inside the app, so the same question gives the same answer every time.
Are the answers the official rules?
Yes. Every answer Tally gives is written ahead of time, checked against the official rulebook, FAQs, and publisher rulings, and written at about a 5th grade reading level. Nothing is made up on the spot, and a house rule never gets handed to you as if it were official.
How are games tested?
Every game in Rule Referee is tested against 400 to 650 real rules questions before it ships, from the basics to the edge cases groups argue about. Then I spot-check the answers myself.
How is this different from just searching Google?
Search gives you an AI overview that can be wrong, then forum threads that are old, outdated, or describing someone's house rule. You scroll, you read, and you still might not find the answer for the game in front of you. With Rule Referee you pick your game, ask Tally, and get one clear answer from the official rulebook in a few seconds. No AI guesswork, and it works offline.
Is there a board game rules app that doesn't use AI?
Yes, Rule Referee. It runs without generative AI. A deterministic NLP retrieval engine matches your question to answers written ahead of time from the official rulebook, its FAQs, and publisher rulings, so nothing is improvised at the table.
Price, privacy, and kids
Is Rule Referee free?
Rule Referee is free to download with no ads, ever. You can play 5 games free, or unlock the full library for $2.99 a month. Games from partnered publishers are always free.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Every game's rules live inside the app, so you can ask questions without an internet connection. Game night in a basement with no WiFi? Still works 🙂
Can kids use it?
That's who I built it for. There's no browsing, no outside content, and no chatting with anything beyond the rules of the game you picked. Kids can ask in their own words and get an answer they can actually read.
Is my data private?
Yes. Rule Referee doesn't ask for an account, doesn't collect personal data, and doesn't send your questions anywhere. Everything happens on your device.
Less arguing. More playing.
Rule Referee is live on the App Store and Google Play for iPhone, iPad, and Android.