Went to that new board game cafe in Portland and saw something that changed my mind about teaching games.

I watched a group of regulars help a new couple learn a heavy euro in under 20 minutes, using a player aid they made themselves. It was way better than the rulebook. How do you handle teaching complex games to new people?

3 comments

3 Comments

king.wyatt1mo ago

Under 20 minutes" is the dream. My teach usually takes that long just for me to find all the pieces I dropped on the floor. A good player aid is a lifesaver.

ray_miller411mo ago

I used to think player aids were just extra paper clutter. Then I taught Scythe to my group without them, like @king.wyatt said, it took 35 minutes of constant questions. The next week I printed the aids and the whole teach, start to finish, was under 15. It was a total game changer for keeping people focused.

cora_scott771mo ago

Watched my buddy try to teach his new game last week. He spent ten minutes just setting up the board, then knocked over his drink reaching for the rulebook. The whole table just sat there in silence while he mopped up with napkins. We never did finish learning that game, the mood was totally gone. A solid player aid would have saved that whole night.