How to introduce board games to friends and family

[greesdermos]

Board games and tabletop RPGs are booming right now. They’ve hit the mainstream and regular folks are popping their heads into games nights, board game cafes and friendly local game stores to see exactly what all the fuss is about.

It can be an intimidating world. New players should feel welcomed but, like actually finding a night suitable to continue the Dungeons & Dragons campaign you started six months ago, it’s much easier in theory than in practice.

Luckily, we're here to give you a helping hand with a few things to keep in mind when trying to introduce your friends and family to some of the best family board games out there. Here are our 10 top tips on helping turn newcomers into lifelong players.

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1. Choose when and where to play your first session carefully
While a board game night at a store might have the benefits of a massive library and space it does have one huge problem - strangers. Aside from the awkwardness of new players learning a game while meeting new people, you have no control over what the regulars might do or say.

You could counter this by drafting a new player into a full group but it is also worth considering how to make the new player as comfortable as possible. People are a lot more at ease in place they can eat, drink, use the loo in comfort and won’t have their ear chewed off by someone committed to explaining the subtle mechanical changes in how Celerity works in Vampire: The Masquerade.

Taking the board game into a more casual environment like the kitchen table or a quiet pub helps new players a lot. Just don’t crack open Catan at a rave. Catan is not welcomed at raves.

Azul board game tiles
Azul's gorgeous tiles and colourful artwork can help to attract newcomers.
2. Know your audience and don’t push it
You might be able to spring a board game session on the uninitiated at a family event like Christmas and hopefully get your relatives to try something other than Monopoly and a massively out-of-date edition of Trivial Pursuit but those instances are few and far between.

If you have players who are interested in tabletop gaming but yet to move their first meeple, it may sound obvious, but try a board game matching their personality and interests. You should still have a good time - but just because you enjoy punishing mechanics representing the nihilism of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos doesn’t mean everyone will. Bear things like that in mind.

If you can’t easily convince someone to play a board game you should probably avoid it. Even one person playing under duress can sour the memories of a game for other players and they’ll blame the game. The game deserves better.

If you can’t easily convince someone to play a board game you should probably avoid it.
3. Visual appeal and brand recognition are more important than you think
Some games look prettier than others, it’s that simple. New players often haven’t had a chance to form opinions about which gameplay mechanics they like so will be hooked in by visuals and concepts. Go with it.

Once you’ve built their trust up with good-looking but simple beginner board games like Tsuro or Tokaido (any board game you might describe as 'elegant') you can move them to more mechanically-focused and complex strategy board games like Agricola or Scythe - which, to be fair, is still gorgeous but can be overwhelming.

But beware the backfire; Stranger Things Monopoly is still Monopoly and nobody wants that. It’s the same with games non-gamers have heard of; if you are sick to death of Cards Against Humanity, you can use still use it to your advantage and suggest something in a similar vein that utilises a similar core element, like party board games Funemployed or Snake Oil.

Love Letter 2019 quick board game photo
Short games such as Love Letter can make for the perfect taster session when introducing friends and family to board games.
4. Start with a short game
Quick board games will be invaluable to you in your quest to convert newbies. You can introduce common mechanisms they will use in bigger board games, get a feel for what your people like, get into the competitive spirit and try a bunch quickly at low risk of alienating the new players.

Classics like Love Letter can get you thinking strategically and I’ve never met a soul that didn’t freak out over Anomia. Fluxx is great because the rules and victory conditions change every turn but be careful you don’t fall into the hole of the playthrough that won’t (or can’t) end.

In fact, you should consider speed with any game you play. A boring game is made infinitely worse by waiting for it to finish, but even games with lots of downtime between players’ turns can let boredom sink in, particularly if the game is low on player interaction.

Being outplayed or a little unlucky feels better than not having a clue what the hell just happened.
5. Tell people how to win (and how not to lose)
This is the ultimate sin but it does happen. When introducing board games to family and friends clearly state the game's objective upfront. Kill the monsters, collect resources, fill the tracker - whatever it is, just say it.

Then tell the players how they achieve that goal. Not just in terms of the mechanics, but with a little strategy advice too. A new player can be willing to play, understand the rules and still end up playing dispassionately because they don’t quite get how what they’re doing changes the game. You need to give them some agency and the sense they are contributing and succeeding. This is particularly important if the game is asymmetrical and you have different victory conditions.

Despite beginner’s luck the chances are your newcomers will still lose - but being outplayed or a little unlucky feels better than not having a clue what the hell just happened.

[alexssimolss]

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