Summary
How many of you have been in this situation before? You sit a large group of people down for a game night. You’ve patiently been waiting to break out your latestboard game/tabletopobsession and start to explain the rules. Except, as you do, things start to go wrong.
We’ve all been in that situation where reading or explaining the rules, either for yourself or for others, can take a left turn. But maybe we can collectively exorcise that pain by reminiscing about all the awkwardness that comes with explaining rules. Here are the worst things that can happen when reading board game rules.
10People Stop Listening
Huh? What?
One of the worst things that can happen when you start reading the rules aloud to people is when you can tell that nobody’s really listening. Sometimes, people either zone out, or feign interest poorly, or just purposefully stop listening altogether.
Obviously, if people don’t understand the rules, you know you’re not going to be able to actually play. Plus, it never feels good to be speaking to a captive audience.
9You Realize You Made A Mistake
Wait, Let Me Start Over
Let’s face it, the best way to read rules to people is quickly. It’s really easy for people to get bored or disinterested in even playing the game. I know that personally I try to get through the rules as fast as possible so that people don’t lose interest.
However, when you go through the rules too fast, sometimes, it’s easy to make mistakes yourself. I know that more than once I’ve sped-read through the rules of a game only to discover that I explained something wrong. And now, we’re halfway through the actual playing of the game and having to homebrew a solution on the spot. Not fun at all.
8You’re Missing Pieces
We’ll Use This Monopoly Piece Instead
Maybe you’re dusting off an old favorite, or there was some kind of manufacturing error. Either way, there’s nothing more disheartening than reaching into the box of an old favorite and remembering that the dog actually ate that piece over a decade ago. What’s a gamer to do?
Well, you can always do away with the piece altogether or attempt to find a quick replacement. Just be prepared to explain to people all night that the Hat from Monopoly, in this case, is actually meant to represent a settlement inSettlers of Catan.
7You Don’t Understand Something Yourself
Hang On, That Doesn’t Make Sense
This is the most common thing that happens whenever I try to explain a new set of board game rules to people, especially if I haven’t played myself or it’s just been a minute. Sometimes, you might go over a rule and read it out loud, only to realize, you yourself don’t really understand what the game is saying.
This was my experience trying to learn Wingspan for the very first time. I love Wingspan probably more than I love anything, but trying to understand how certain Victory Point conditions worked, or what certain bird abilities are best used for, can prove confusing even to seasoned gamers.
6You Realize You’ve Been Playing Wrong
Oh, That’s How It Works
I actually had a personal experience with this recently. I was taught the board game Mysterium by a friend years ago and took their rules entirely for granted. Very recently, I taught a group of new players how to play the game, only to realize, in reviewing the rules, that I had been playing wrong for years.
The real rules, it turns out, are a lot stricter than I had actually made them out to be. This made the rules-explanation process a lot more tedious, and even caused some people to question whether they wanted to play the game at all.
5Suddenly, This Doesn’t Sound Fun At All
Even I Don’t Want To Play
This happened to me during the process of trying to learn Elder Sign, which I have since come around on. However, one night, I sat down with a group of friends, preparing to learn the game, when, during the process of reading the rules, I realized I might’ve been too tired to dive into a game as complex as that one.
It happens to us all. We bite off more than we can chew. Or, we buy a new game because we like the artwork or the general vibe, and then realize that the game mechanics themselves are actually not all that fun. Funnily, this happens to be just as often in video games as it does in board games. I guess I shouldn’t judge a game by its cover.
4People Give Up
I’ll Sit This Round Out
This is one of my least favorites on this list. Sometimes, you’ll be standing in front of a room, pouring your heart out as you explain the rules of an admittedly complex game, but you know you’re doing a great job. People are nodding, people are getting excited. And then suddenly, one person raises their hands and opts out of the game.
Even worse, I never feel more embarrassed than when I’m explaining rules to a board game and a person says, ‘Can I just be on a team with someone?’ I want to yell ‘no!’ but deep down, I know that it’s for the best to just let them sit it out. Or just pivot to Scrabble and call it a day.
3Fellow Players Interrupt
Question!
We all remember what it was like to be students and have the teacher say ‘Please hold all questions until the end.’ It was annoying at the time, but hopefully, as adults, we all understand now why the teacher did that. Sometimes, it’s common for players to interrupt you with questions as you explainthe rules of the game.
Now, while it’s great for players to get engaged, and asking questions is a sign that they’re genuinely trying to understand, there’s nothing worse than not even being able to finish your sentence as you explain. Plus, sometimes, their question is literally about to be answered. Patience is a virtue, okay, let’s all take a second to remember that.
2You Get One-Upped
I Am The Captain Now
It’s great when you’re not the only one who’s played the game before. In fact, I much prefer it. Having someone else to ask rules questions about can prove to be incredibly useful when it comes to teaching casuals how to play.
And yet, there’s also nothing more embarrassing than when your partner suddenly usurps you, or declares that ‘you’re not explaining it right.’ Absolutely humiliating in my opinion. I’d rather just not play at all than be accused of not knowing the rules of a game.
1It’s Too Late To Even Start Now
Let’s Just All Go Home
Last but not least, this is the death knell of all board game nights. Sometimes you invite people over, you have dinner, some drinks, maybe engage in some light conversation. Then, you realize, oh no, the sun set hours ago, and we haven’t even started playing the game we’re supposed to. In fact, we haven’t evengone over the rules!
This can prove disastrous for any game night. Realizing that, it might even be too late to start the game you want to play is so devastating, I can barely write this out without crying. There’s no worse feeling than having to abandon a rules explanation at the last minute because ‘it’s getting late.’
