The game night in Austin where a new player called our favorite game 'boring'

We were at a local cafe playing our usual weekly game of Terraforming Mars, a game we've loved for a long time. A friend brought their roommate, who after about 30 minutes just put his cards down and said, 'This feels like doing my taxes.' It completely killed the mood for the whole table. Now I'm way more careful about picking games for mixed groups. How do you handle introducing heavier games to people who might not be into them?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_campbell2d ago

Ugh, that's such a mood killer. I read a blog post once that said you should always explain the "why" of a heavy game before you start, like what the fun part is supposed to be. For Terraforming Mars, you'd say it's about building a cool engine and watching your company grow, not just moving cubes. It sets better expectations. Starting with a shorter, simpler game to test the waters is a safer bet too.

harper_foster2d ago

That blog advice sounds good but it's wrong for new players. Telling someone the "why" just makes a heavy game sound more confusing before they've even seen the pieces. You're better off just jumping into a quick first round to let them feel the game for themselves.

craig.john2d ago

Yeah, that "test the waters" idea... I once tried that with my cousin and we ended up playing five rounds of Love Letter instead of ever touching the big box.