8/15/2006
Basic Rules
(optional) Shuffle the deck and hand it to anyone who will be playing the next game.

Flip a card onto the middle of the playing area and read it aloud.

In case of a tie, the arrow points to the winner of any tied players.

8/15/2006
Deck Construction Rules (optional)
You don't really need to build a specific size or kind of deck to play Start Player. Any set of Start Player cards will do. However, for the rules lawyers out there, here are some guidelines (oh, heck, let's call them rules) for building an official Start Player deck:

Form decks of at least 25 and no more than 50 cards, with no duplicates (note that there are actually 8 blank cards each with a different number). The total number of meeples (bottom left) may not exceed 50.

8/15/2006
Disputes
In the case of a dispute as to the winner, if the matter is not resolved in 10 seconds, flip another card to replace the initially flipped card.

8/15/2006
Games with variable turn order
For games that have variable turn order (like Caylus or Age of Steam), where play doesn't move clockwise and you need to determine not just who goes first, but who goes second, third, etc., flip a card for each place: one for the player who goes first, one for the player who goes second, etc. A variant to this would be to rank each player on a single card, but this becomes somewhat confusing in terms of ties and such, so my recommendation is a new card for each player spot.

8/15/2006
Interpretations of cards
Many cards can be interpreted in a number of ways. As a general guideline, it's the spirit of the card description that should be followed. For instance, the "shortest player" card is referring to the height of a player when they're standing up, without any artificial heighteners (lifts, standing on a chair, etc.). If a card causes a dispute among players as to its interpretation, follow the dispute rule above (after 10 seconds, draw another card).