Published January 3rd, 2020
In a couple of different episodes now I’ve mentioned some of the rules for introducing a board game to people. This sounds like a simple topic, but when you’re a hardcore gamer like me, introducing a large, complex game to non-gamers is tricky. You want the people you like to like the things that you like, even if they don’t like them.
That sounds complicated… let me try again…
I personally derive a ton of entertainment and satisfaction from a good game. Just playing is my goal; I’m not terribly good at most games, but I just love to play. The problem with most board games is that they require additional people. So, you have to find people willing (if not exactly eager) to play with you, and introduce the game to them. The key here is that you want them to want to play with you again. This is what I want to talk about; how do you introduce a new game to people in a way that maximizes your chances of playing again in the future.
While I’m not an expert, I’ve had moderate success introducing games to people and having them play again afterwards. Reflecting on those experiences, I have a couple of rules of thumb that I’ve developed.
1 – Setup the game before you ask for players.
Nobody wants to watch you sort and place dozens of tiles, counters, tokens, or pieces for an hour. Setting up a board game is tedious, even if the board game is simple. I don’t know of a single household that doesn’t have the rule “winners clean up”. The consolation prize for the losers is that they don’t have to deal with putting the game away.
If you ask somebody if they’re willing to play a game with you and they say yes, you want to capitalize on that decision right away. If a non-gamer agrees to play a game with you, but then has to watch you setup for half an hour, there’s a risk that you’re going to lose them. They’ll see all the pieces and mats and board spaces and start to second-guess their commitment. Wait, there are resource, currency and player pieces? That might be a little too much for me…
If you want the best odds of getting someone committed to a game, make sure they can walk up to it ready to play. You sit there, you sit there, and we’re ready to start!
2 – Know the rules.
Please note that this is “know” the rules. Don’t “kinda know” the rules. Don’t “have the rules available”. And whatever you do, don’t read the rules for the first time with your players.
Nobody wants to hear you read what is essentially a textbook for any length of time. Even worse, nobody wants to be tested on what you read afterward, which they’re going to be, because you’re going to play the game.
The idea is that you never want your players to feel bored at all. Even if they don’t remember the rules of the game when its over, they’re going to remember how it felt to play. If they felt bored at any point, that will taint their memory and discourage them from playing again.
When your players sit down at the table (with the game already setup), you need to clearly and concisely explain the game to them in plain human language. Don’t try to explain strategy. Don’t explain nuance. Let them discover that for themselves, and feel smart for having figured it out. Just give them what they need to play. The sooner you get started, the better.
3 – Pick the right game.
There are hundreds of amazing board games out there, but they’re not all for everyone. I could write a dissertation just describing the different genres and mechanics that board games have. Instead of boring you to tears, I’ll just say this; know your audience, and choose wisely.
If you have players that like to think deep and develop complex strategies, make sure your game lets them do that. If you have players that like to mess with the other players as a viable in-game strategy, make sure they can do that.
In my case, most of my players are very smart people, but they don’t have the longest attention spans in the world. So, one huge priority for the games I pick is turn length. The turns need to be quick so the non-active players aren’t spending a lot of time sitting watching other people play the game.
Think of it as chess versus uno. Some people love to stare at a chess board and plan without actually doing anything. Other people just want to slam their “draw 4” card as quickly as possible without having to wait. Know which kind of players you have and find a game that fits their style.
Image via Silver Oak Casino – Click here for full size
4 – Throw the first game.
I can feel Ben tensing up through the internet at this rule…
All of the rules I’ve listed are about first impressions, and this is probably one of the more important ones. If you want to play this game with your players again, they need to have a good first impression of the game. From their perspective, it needs to be easy to play (because you set it up and explained the rules), fun (because you chose a game with mechanics that they like), and most importantly, they need to remember it favorably. What’s better than beating someone at their own game? Literally.
Hey, remember that time Josh made us play his game and then we beat him? That was fun… we should do that again sometime.
You may lose the first game, but if you’re like me and the goal is just to play, then who really won?
Josh, this is great! I have played almost every game on that decision tree.
– This made me laugh, it’s true enough though. Luckily I just happened to marry someone who like games as much/more than I do, so he usually does all the work when we need more people.