c/board-game-geeks

I realized I've been teaching new players all wrong for like 2 years

I used to explain every rule upfront, which took 30 minutes and people's eyes glazed over. Last game night, my friend Jake just started playing Catan and said 'let's just do a practice round, I'll figure it out.' We played for 15 minutes, then paused to explain more. It clicked way faster. Now I'm torn: is a full rules dump at the start the respectful 'geek' way, or is jumping in faster better for keeping folks interested? What's your go-to method for teaching a heavy game?

My friend told me my game teaching was a confusing mess and it totally changed my game nights

We were setting up a new game, and I was just explaining rules as I remembered them, jumping all over the place. My buddy Steve finally stopped me and said, 'Dude, you're going from setup to end-game scoring in one breath. Start with the goal, then how you take a turn.' I tried it his way the next week with a different group and a game of 'Wingspan.' I said, 'We're all bird watchers trying to attract the best birds to our wildlife preserves. On your turn, you pick one of four actions...' It went so much smoother! No one looked lost halfway through. How do you guys teach a new game? Do you have a specific order you follow?

Had to choose between a big Kickstarter pledge or paying for my friend's wedding trip...

The new 'Eclipse: Second Dawn' campaign dropped right when I had to book flights for my buddy's wedding in Chicago. I went with the wedding, obviously... but I spent the whole weekend checking the pledge manager updates from my phone at the reception. Missed out on the early bird galactic playmat. Anyone else ever have to pick between a game and a real life thing, and still feel the FOMO?

The game night in Austin where a new player called our favorite game 'boring'

We were at a local cafe playing our usual weekly game of Terraforming Mars, a game we've loved for a long time. A friend brought their roommate, who after about 30 minutes just put his cards down and said, 'This feels like doing my taxes.' It completely killed the mood for the whole table. Now I'm way more careful about picking games for mixed groups. How do you handle introducing heavier games to people who might not be into them?

Appreciation post: I chose the 3-hour teach for 'Twilight Imperium' over the 30-minute rules summary, and it was the best call for our group of six new players.

Everyone says to just jump in and learn as you go, but taking that extra time upfront meant we avoided the usual mid-game confusion and actually finished our first session in under eight hours, so has anyone else had a good experience with a longer teach for a complex game?

Back in 2015, I had to choose between buying a rare expansion or paying for a trip to a big convention.

The expansion was for an out-of-print game I loved, listed for $120 online. The convention was Gen Con, and the trip would have cost me about $400 total. I picked the expansion, thinking the game time with my local group was more important than the travel. Honestly, I still have that box, but I missed meeting the game's designer that year, which I regret. Sometimes I wonder if the experience would have been better than the thing. Anyone else pass on a big event for a specific game piece?

My game group had to pick between finishing our 4 hour Twilight Imperium game or ordering pizza. We chose the game and my stomach is still mad at me.

Rant: I saw a group playing a full campaign of Gloomhaven at a coffee shop in Portland for 8 hours straight

I mean, the dedication was impressive, but idk, maybe it's just me but seeing that huge box and all those pieces spread over three tables made me wonder if anyone else has tried playing a massive game somewhere public like that and how it went.

My friend told me to stop buying expansions for games we never finish

My buddy Mark said this after our third game night in a row where we opened a new box but only played half a game. He was right. I had like five unplayed expansions for different games just sitting on my shelf. Last month, I made a rule: we have to fully play a base game three times before I can buy anything new for it. It sounds simple, but it totally changed our group. We finally finished a full campaign of Gloomhaven over six weeks, and it was awesome. Has anyone else set a rule like this to actually enjoy the games you own?

Rant: I thought you needed a huge table for a good game night, but I was wrong

For years, I insisted on only hosting at my place because I have a big 8-foot dining table. I thought my friend's small apartment with a 4-person card table was a bad spot. Then last month, we played 'The Crew' there, and it was the best game night in ages. The small space forced us to be closer, talk more, and actually finish games faster. Now I see that the people and the game choice matter way more than the table size. Has anyone else had a better experience with a smaller, cozier setup?

TIL our game group's setup time got cut in half after we started using a $15 tackle box for tokens.

Before, we'd spend 20 minutes sorting pieces from bags. Now it's under 10. Anyone have a better storage hack for Catan's million little roads?

My buddy called my game teaching style 'chaotic' and honestly, he was right

We were setting up a game of Root last week and I was just throwing rules at everyone as they came up. He stopped me and said, 'Grant, you're making this way harder than it needs to be. Pick one faction, explain their goal and two main actions, then start.' I tried it his way the next night with Brass: Birmingham. I only taught the basic income loop and connecting cities before round one. Ngl, the game started in 15 minutes instead of 45 and nobody looked lost. Has anyone else found a better script for teaching heavy games?

Unpopular opinion: I used to think board game nights were just about the game

I'd get annoyed if someone took too long on their turn or didn't know the rules perfectly. Then, at a friend's place last month, we spent 2 hours laughing over a chaotic game of 'Camel Up' and barely kept score. It hit me that the point is the people, not the perfect play. Anyone else have a game where the fun totally overrides the rules?

Rant: Sorting my 800+ card Arkham Horror LCG collection by set and number took me three entire Sundays.

I finally caved and bought a $40 card sorter app after my manual system failed, so what's your worst organizational nightmare with a game collection?

Honestly, a game night in Austin changed how I handle rule arguments forever.

Can we talk about the weird pressure to buy new games all the time?

Honestly, I was at my local game store in Portland last weekend and this guy was telling his friend he felt 'behind' because he hadn't played the new hotness that just came out. He said, 'I'm still on games from like 2022, man.' It made me think. Tbh, my group has been playing the same copy of Brass Birmingham for over a year now and we're still finding new strategies. It feels like there's this whole thing where collecting the new stuff is seen as being a real geek, but actually knowing a game inside out isn't. Ngl, it kind of bums me out. I'd rather be an expert at a few games than just own a shelf of shrink wrap. Has your group ever gotten stuck on one game for a really long time?

A game night in Austin made me stop trying to win every single time

I was at a friend's house in Austin about 3 months ago, playing a new area control game. I had a solid lead and was about to make a move that would have basically ended the game for everyone else. My friend, who was hosting, just looked at me and said, 'You know, you could let someone else have a turn being the threat.' It felt like a punch in the gut (but in a good way). I realized I was so focused on finding the perfect, most efficient play that I was making the game boring for the other 4 people at the table. I pulled back, made a less optimal move, and the whole game changed. The last hour was way more fun, with everyone actually laughing and trying crazy plans. Now I think more about the table's fun than my personal score. Has anyone else had a moment where they had to change how they play to keep the group happy?

Had a total board game moment at my friend's cabin last month

We were playing a 5 player game of Root, about 2 hours in, and my friend's dog jumped on the table. It knocked over three faction boards and sent the deck everywhere. We all just froze for a second. I mean, we spent like 20 minutes just trying to piece back everyone's exact warrior counts and card hands from memory. It was a mess, but honestly, we all laughed it off and just started a new game. Has anyone else had a game totally wrecked by a pet or something random?

My game group spent 45 minutes arguing about the rules for a card in Wingspan

It was supposed to be a chill Friday night, but one card's wording about caching food started a huge debate. We pulled out the rulebook, checked three different forums online, and my friend Steve just kept repeating his interpretation louder. The whole thing killed the vibe and we only got through two rounds. Has anyone else had a simple game night derailed by a single rule?

I've been teaching my friends to play Catan wrong for about two years, and the guy at the game store just looked at me like I'd grown a second head.

He asked why I thought you could trade resources with the bank at a 2:1 ratio from any port, not just the ones you've built on, and the silence in that shop was louder than a dice tower hitting the floor.

My game group keeps calling 'Munchkin' a strategy game and it drives me nuts

We played last Friday and someone said 'I love the deep strategy in Munchkin' while just playing random cards. That's not strategy, it's pure chaos and take-that mechanics. Does anyone else get annoyed when people mix up party games with actual strategy titles?

Remember when everyone was hyping up legacy games and I thought it was just a gimmick to sell more boxes?

My buddy finally got me to try Pandemic Legacy Season 1 last year, and finishing that campaign with the same group over 10 sessions was one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. Anyone else have a game type they were totally wrong about?

The obsession with Kickstarter exclusives is killing our local game nights

I see people at our shop in Columbus dropping $150 on a Kickstarter box just for the plastic minis and exclusive cards, then they never actually play it. It's turned collecting into a weird flex instead of getting games to the table. We had a guy bring in a sealed copy of 'Eclipse: Second Dawn' for a year before selling it, untouched. When did buying games become more important than playing them with friends?

My game group went from silent to chatty after I moved the table

For the first six months of our weekly Gloomhaven campaign, everyone just stared at their character sheets. I thought it was the game's fault. Last month, I moved the table from the basement corner to the center of the room and added a second lamp. The difference was instant. People started talking, making jokes, and actually looking at each other. It turns out the bad lighting and cramped space were killing the mood. Has anyone else fixed a social problem in their group with a simple setup change?

Tried a 'silent auction' for picking the next game and it saved our game night from a 20 minute debate

Our group of 6 was stuck in the usual 'what should we play' loop last Friday. I got the idea from a blog post about board game cafes. Everyone got 3 tokens (just pennies from my jar) and we secretly bid on the 4 games on the table by placing tokens next to them. Most tokens wins, ties get a quick vote. We were playing in under 5 minutes. Has anyone else used a system like this to cut down the decision paralysis?