Talked to a guy who runs a board game cafe and he changed how I see setup time

Met this guy at a con in Denver who said he pre-opens all punchboards and sorts components before anyone even sits down. I always thought that was part of the fun, but he argued it respects the table's time more than any rulebook explanation. Has anyone else tried pre-sorting for a game night to speed things up?

2 comments

2 Comments

samjohnson9d ago

Sorting punchboards actually kills the secret social contract of discovery between players at the table.

oliver_morgan9d ago

I read a post online that said 60% of players actually prefer having games prepped before they arrive, especially for heavier games with tons of bits. Samjohnson brings up that social contract thing, but I remember playing a 4 hour game of Eclipse and we spent the first 45 minutes just punching out pieces. That killed way more of the fun than just diving into the game would have. I can see both sides though, depends on the group and the game weight.