I enjoy teaching games, but my friends don't read rules ahead of time and lose attention during long explanations. We have a medium-weight game with a few phases and some exceptions. I've had more success teaching the goal and first-turn actions, then explaining details when they matter. How do you structure the opening so people can start playing without feeling ambushed by rules three turns later?
Teaching a medium-weight game to friends who rarely read rules
- board-games
- teaching
- medium
- weight
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3 replies
I start with what a player is trying to do on their turn, not the whole rulebook. If they know the goal, the turn structure, and one example...
I start with what a player is trying to do on their turn, not the whole rulebook. If they know the goal, the turn structure, and one example round, they can usually learn the rest as it comes up.
Same here. I’ll actually play the first round for them if the game allows it, then point out the first exception when it matters instead of before it matters.
I think too many people over-explain setup. People remember a story better than a rule dump, so I tell them what their first few decisions feel like and keep the edge cases for later.
The only catch is if there’s a gotcha that changes the whole game, like hidden scoring or a penalty everyone needs to know early. Otherwise,...