Make Teaching Complex Board Games Easier By Setting Up Examples Beforehand

Make Teaching Complex Board Games Easier By Setting Up Examples Beforehand

When you’re trying to get someone into a complicated board game you like, going over the rules and making them stick is the most difficult part. A little preparation can save you some time and a headache.

Photo by Chris Brooks.

If you’re sick of playing Apples to Apples and Code Names at game nights, and tired of keeping your more complex games sitting on a shelf, Sax Carr at Geek and Sundry has a few tips to make teaching them to friends a little less complicated.

Nobody likes learning rules for two hours, so you need to expedite the process and Carr suggests you set up specific examples of gameplay mechanics before you have everyone sit down to learn. With the right scenario already set up, you can give dozens of examples of how the game works.

The more rules you can squeeze out of your scenario the better. This keeps everyone interested, because it takes half the time, and it keeps you from falling prey to the “We’ll explain that when we get to it” cop out.

5 Rules for Teaching the Most Complex Tabletop Games [Geek and Sundry]


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