My friend told me my game explanations were a total snooze fest

We were setting up Terraforming Mars last month and I was going through my usual 20 minute rules lecture. He cut me off and said, 'Dude, just tell us how to win and what we do on a turn.' I started doing that, just the core loop first, and games start 15 minutes faster now. People actually look excited instead of glazed over. How do you keep your teach short without missing key stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabethhayes7d ago

Oh man, that's such a great point! I see this everywhere, not just with board games. People try to explain every single detail up front when you really just need the goal and the next step. It's like giving someone directions by describing every street instead of just saying "head east and turn at the big red barn." Starting with the core loop gets people playing, and they learn the rest as they go. It makes everything less scary and way more fun.

the_charlie7d ago

But you'll miss the strategy if you skip the details like @elizabethhayes wants.

grace_bailey20h agoMost Upvoted

My buddy tried to teach us Scythe with the full rulebook first. We were all lost until he just said you're trying to get stars, and on your turn you pick one action from your board. We played a round, messed up, and then he filled in the combat and mech rules. Way better.